Blake Lively’s efforts to redact the names of famous associates – such as husband Ryan Reynolds and one-time bestie Taylor Swift – in her In Ends with Us case are in vain, according to lawyers for Justin Baldoni.
In a new court filing on Monday, Baldoni’s legal team stated their formal objection to a motion the actress previously filed looking to conceal the identities of public figures involved in the ongoing litigation.
‘Not one of [Lively’s] requests meets the [court’s] high standard for sealing at this stage,’ Baldoni’s team said in court filings reviewed by Daily Mail.
Baldoni, 41, said in the court filing that they only reason the actress, 38, is hoping to have the records involving the famous people concealed is because it doesn’t help their public images.
Lively filed court docs requesting the redaction of certain names in the documents. She described husband Reynolds as ‘an innocent third-party’ in regard to production difficulties with the motion picture.
Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Baldoni, Lively and Swift for further comment on the story.
Blake Lively’s efforts to redact the names of famous associates such as husband Ryan Reynolds and one-time bestie Taylor Swif tin her ongoing In Ends with Us case are in vain, according to lawyers for Justin Baldoni
Attorneys for Baldoni pushed back on Lively’s characterization of her husband as an uninvolved third-party, according to court filings reviewed by Daily Mail.
They said that ‘the claim that Reynolds is a non-party whose communications should be sealed is overly-restrictive and absurd.’
Baldoni’s legal team pointed to numerous instances in which they said Reynolds lent his cinematic expertise to the production of In Ends with Us.
Reynolds personally rewrote the scene in the Colleen Hoover adaptation, Baldoni’s lawyers said, and also was involved in a heated exchange with the director over remarks he made about Lively’s weight.
Baldoni’s attorney said that Reynolds’ clear involvement in the case makes him a prime person to be interviewed as a witness.
Baldoni’s lawyers said that Lively’s efforts are part of a larger undertaking to conceal the names of people who she’s accused of recruiting ‘as advocates on her behalf against the Wayfarer Parties in her attempt to take over the film.’
Baldoni’s lawyers past pointed at notable names including Taylor Swift, Hugh Jackman, Emily Blunt and America Ferrera as having been mentioned by Lively as her confidantes on personal and professional issues.
Blake Lively and one-time bestie Taylor Swift pictured at the Super Bowl in 2024 in Las Vegas
Attorneys for Baldoni pushed back on Lively’s characterization of her husband as an uninvolved, third-party, saying that ‘the claim that Reynolds is a non-party whose communications should be sealed is overly-restrictive and absurd.’ Pictured April 2025 in NYC
Baldoni and Lively pictured filming It Ends With Us in New Jersey in 2024
The case is slated to return to court for a January 22 hearing, with a May 18 trial date looming.
The latest news in the case comes as the contentious legal battle between Lively and Baldoni has gone on more than a year.
In December of 2024, Lively named Baldoni in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional stress.
In her lawsuit, the actress accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways – including body shaming her – and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel.
Baldoni had initially asked for $250 million in damages from The New York Times, mentioning a report it published on the topic that he claimed was defamatory, then added it to the $400 million lawsuit he filed this past January.
In the suit, Baldoni named Lively, her spouse Ryan Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, citing the aforementioned report in legal documents. It was thrown out of court this past June. All parties have denied all of the allegations against them.
Baldoni admitted he was willing to concede to 95 percent of Lively’s demands to keep the peace on-set in newly-revealed texts in the case
Lively and Ryan Reynolds shared a loving moment at the film’s premiere in NYC in 2024
It Ends with Us earned $148 million in domestic box office and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars.
The motion picture, which also starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, was based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover.
The storyline of the film centered around a toxic relationship between Lily Bloom (played by Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
According to a logline for the film, Lily ‘overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life,’ as ‘a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.’
