Movies

How Blake’s team won the first blow against Justin Baldoni… revealed by KATIE HIND

BBG News

The identity of Blake Lively’s latest high-profile friend was unmasked at a girls’ dinner held in New York City’s Meatpacking district.

Under duress, the actress was spotted laughing with her elder sibling Robyn and renowned actress Salma Hayek upon exiting the RH Rooftop Restaurant, not long after news broke about the demise of Lively’s friendship with Taylor Swift.

According to reports, the singer is said to have ended their relationship after Lively allegedly threatened to disclose confidential messages if Swift didn’t support her against her co-star Justin Baldoni during their prolonged argument.

Just a few short days ago, I found myself beaming with enthusiasm at the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue launch party in New York City, where I couldn’t help but rave about my latest and greatest friend!

For a number of years, she has maintained friendships with both Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, and she’s particularly close with their quartet of kids.

She said, ‘I was fortunate enough to join them for some fun. They had the opportunity to visit their aunt Salma,’ she gushed. ‘And it’s worth noting that they are able to communicate in Spanish as well.’

The meaning was straightforward: Lively has a new close friend in Hayek. In fact, their budding friendship is generating a lot of buzz within Hollywood circles, following the surprising dismissal of Justin Baldoni’s £400million defamation lawsuit against Lively by US District Court judge Lewis Liman.

It just so happens that I share a family bond with an esteemed figure, who, in addition to his impressive legal credentials as an alumnus of both the London School of Economics and Yale Law School, is also the talented sibling of renowned Hollywood director Doug Liman.

Doug, renowned for his work in films like The Bourne Identity and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, is managed by the Creative Artists Agency – an agency that wealthy businessman François-Henri Pinault, Hayek’s husband, acquired a significant share of in 2023.

A source from Hollywood commented: ‘Though the verdict took many by surprise, it wasn’t unjust. There were ties, undeniably – well, that’s how Hollywood operates, and it seems everyone in the industry knows each other.’

The entire unfortunate incident took place the previous year, when Lively (recognized as Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl’s Upper East Side) lodged a civil rights complaint alleging that Baldoni had sexually harassed her during the making of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s popular book “It Ends With Us”.

Initially, she asserted that he reacted with counteraction after she expressed her views. On the other hand, Baldoni firmly rejected all the accusations. Subsequently, the situation intensified as she filed a legal suit against Baldoni, further substantiating her allegations.

In January, the actor and his film studio, Wayfarer Studios, counter-sued Lively and her husband Reynolds (Deadpool fame and owner of Wrexham AFC) for £400million, claiming they were guilty of defamation and extortion.

However, Judge Liman dismissed significant aspects of Baldoni’s case last week. He determined that 41-year-old Baldoni cannot bring a defamation suit against Lively, 37, due to statements made by her in a lawsuit. The judge explained that such legal filings are considered protected speech and thus are not subject to libel suits. Furthermore, he stated that Baldoni’s claim that Lively unlawfully seized creative control of the film was not recognized as extortion under California law.

In response to Baldoni’s allegations that Lively was threatening not to promote the movie, the judge emphasized that Wayfarer Productions had no legally binding duty to promote the film.

According to Liman, Baldoni’s legal team might amend their lawsuit and focus on allegations that Lively violated an agreement. However, it seems the situation is shifting in favor of Lively.

Additionally, the judge dismissed Baldoni’s defamation case against The New York Times, which had published articles about sexual harassment accusations. Reportedly, Lively and Reynolds are elated with this decision, particularly following their experience amidst Baldoni’s intense public relations battle.

In the realm of openness and transparency, I found myself in an unexpected situation back in December. It all stemmed from conversations that surfaced between my team and a renowned crisis communications expert based in London, Melissa Nathan. To put it simply, a member of my team expressed to her that I was yearning for a sense of closure, using the metaphor ‘be buried’.

‘You know we can bury anyone,’ she replied.

Nathan, known for collaborating with notable figures such as Johnny Depp, Drake, Travis Scott, and Simon Cowell, is rumored to have secretly manipulated narratives in order to suppress harmful stories about Baldoni while crafting unfavorable tales regarding Lively.

Nathan’s communications with journalists, labeled by some as a ‘reputation tarnishing strategy,’ are not unusual in the realm of Hollywood. However, others speculate that perhaps her self-assurance may have been excessive when it came to challenging Lively.

It’s not just Nathan; there were many others who shared this concern. In fact, due to her strategies, numerous insiders harbored doubts about Lively’s chances of prevailing in the case. These skeptics believed that the couple was on a path towards potential financial disaster.

One source mentioned that, given Melissa’s association with some of the most prominent American journalists, it could be inferred by readers of American celebrity magazines (and even British ones) that Justin would likely emerge victorious with ease.

‘Melissa is extremely dedicated to her clients, just like others in Justin’s group. However, the final outcome was not in Justin’s favor due to evidence presented in court. It seems that Blake has a clear advantage, possibly even a 2-0 lead. The Baldoni team likely didn’t appreciate this turn of events.’

Yesterday, Lively’s legal team expressed an enthusiastic statement: ‘Today’s ruling is a complete triumph and a full exoneration for Blake Lively, as well as those who were embroiled in Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties’ retaliatory lawsuit, such as Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times.’

They also mentioned that they’re pursuing both legal costs and compensation, indicating that the courtroom battle is not yet concluded.

Baldoni responded to Daily Mail’s report about sexual harassment allegations made by Lively, through his attorney Bryan Freedman, stating that these claims ‘hold no more truth today than they did yesterday.’ He also expressed gratitude towards the public for their continued and unwavering support.

Maybe now, Lively’s team is crossing their fingers that this obstacle might persuade Baldoni to abandon his lawsuit completely.

There’s no doubt about it: If Lively’s new buddy, Salma Hayek, manages to defeat Baldoni in the end, she’ll undoubtedly host the most epic party ever.

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2025-06-11 04:35

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