Blake Lively’s publicist is pushing back against a defamation lawsuit filed by director Justin Baldoni. In a court filing, Leslie Sloane argued that telling reporters the entire cast of “It Ends With Us” hates Baldoni was not defamatory.
Sloane claims the statement was a true opinion, and Baldoni has admitted to having issues with the cast on set. The lawsuit alleges that Lively’s team spread false information about Baldoni in an attempt to distract from her own behavior on set.
Baldoni counters that Sloane planted false stories to deflect attention from his alleged abuse of power and harassment of employees. However, Sloane’s lawyers argue that the reporter was referencing a separate issue with Lively’s civil rights complaint, not their statements.
The lawsuit also accuses Baldoni of hypocrisy, citing past allegations of sexual misconduct against him.
Source: https://variety.com/2025/film/news/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-cast-hates-him-defamation-lawsuit-1236314273