Blake Lively accuses Justin Baldoni of trying to ‘avoid accountability’ as he seeks to dismiss It Ends with Us lawsuit

Baldoni has asked the court to block Lively’s lawsuit from going to trial in March 2026

Blake Lively has hit back at Justin Baldoni’s motion to dismiss her $161 million sexual harassment lawsuit in a new filing, arguing that her It Ends with Us director and co-star is trying to “avoid accountability” for the “hostile environment” he allegedly created on set.

Baldoni, 41, is being sued by Lively, 38, over claims that he and his public relations team orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to undermine her reputation in retaliation for speaking out about alleged on-set misconduct. The Jane the Virgin alum later countersued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for allegedly attempting to “destroy” his reputation and career. His lawsuit was officially tossed out last month after he failed to submit an amended complaint by an October deadline.

As Lively’s lawsuit against him rages on, with a court date set for March 9, 2026, Baldoni recently asked the court to block the case from going to trial. Last month, in a filing submitted by his legal team and seen by Rolling Stone, they argued that Lively “cannot prove any actionable sexual harassment,” adding that “no reasonable jury” would find him guilty.

However, Thursday morning, Lively’s lawyers submitted an opposing filing, saying that the Gossip Girl star deserves her “day in court.”

“In their latest effort to avoid accountability for the hostile environment they created during the production and marketing of It Ends With Us, Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, and their co-defendants ask this Court to shield them from trial, and deny Blake Lively her day in court, by throwing the kitchen sink at Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims,” read a heavily redacted 72-page filing, according to Deadline.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have been locked in a bitter legal battle over sexual harassment allegations and accusations that he fostered a ‘hostile environment’ on set of ‘It Ends with Us’ (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Lively and Baldoni starred as lovers in the 2024 romance drama, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel (Sony Pictures)

It further alleged that “when confronted with complaints, [the Defendants] abandoned Wayfarer’s policies by refusing to investigate the concerns.”

“Defendants’ campaign to transform Lively — a mother of four with decades of experience in the industry who simply sought a safe and respectful workplace — into a ‘bully’ who ‘took over’ Baldoni’s Film is not a defense to harassment, retaliation, defamation, or any claim Lively has advanced,” it added.

The Independent has contacted Baldoni’s lawyer for comment.

Baldoni directed and co-starred alongside Lively in the 2024 romance drama It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. The story follows a flower shop owner (Lively) who falls in love with a charming yet abusive neurosurgeon (Baldoni).

It Ends with Us author Colleen Hoover says Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal saga is 'disappointing' (Getty)

Author Hoover, who served as an executive producer on the film, recently spoke out against the “ugliness” of the ongoing legal drama.

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“It feels like a circus,” she told Elle last month. “When there are real people involved, with real feelings and emotions. This actually truly has impacted some of the actors’ careers in huge ways. And I just find it all around sad.”

Sharing that her book was inspired by her mother’s own story of abuse, Hoover said it “now gives us PTSD to think about it.”

“I feel awful because I almost feel like she’s gone through more with the aftermath of this film, more pain than she went through with my dad, just seeing the ugliness of it,” the Verity author said. “I can’t even recommend it anymore. I feel like [the lawsuit] has overshadowed it.”