Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are set to be subpoenaed “‘imminently” for all communications related to Justin Baldoni in the latest twist of the It Ends With Us lawsuit.
The Hollywood power couple are both named as defendants in Baldoni's lawsuit, which has now pulled Reynolds into the increasingly complex legal battle. If Baldoni prevails, Lively and Reynolds could face a massive $400 million payout.
Lively, 37, and Reynolds, 48, along with their PR executive Leslie Sloane, are reportedly facing deposition requests, These would require them to provide hours of testimony, submit all texts and emails related to Baldoni and It Ends With Us, and undergo questioning from Baldoni’s legal team.
A source close to the case told the Daily Mail: “Without a doubt, all parties involved should expect to be subpoenaed and deposed very soon.”
Tensions between the two stars first surfaced during the movie’s promotional campaign upon its release in August last year. Despite being on-screen love interests, Baldoni and Lively were never pictured together in the lead-up to the film’s release, and they undertook their press tour duties separately.
This led to a negative narrative developing around Lively, which the actress has now claimed was due to an orchestrated smear campaign by Baldoni and his PR team.
Meanwhile, according to Baldoni, the conflict reached a peak when he and his family were allegedly relegated to a basement during the film's premiere, reportedly at Lively’s insistence.
Lively filed her lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us, including claims that he would ask probing questions about her sex life, would invite his friends into nude scenes with Lively, and would make jokes about Lively’s dead father.
Shortly after Lively filed her lawsuit, The New York Times published an article based on Lively’s claims alleging that Baldoni orchestrated a smear campaign against her and amplifying the harassment allegations.
In response, Baldoni filed a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times and launched a lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing them of leveraging their celebrity status to take control of his film and damage his career.
Another layer to the increasingly confusing tale was added when raw footage from the set of It Ends With Us surfaced earlier this week. The clip, obtained by the Mail from Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios and his attorney Bryan Freedman, captures a behind-the-scenes moment from a slow dance montage in which Lively is accusing Baldoni of nuzzling her neck and making an inappropriate remark about her scent.
In the clip, Baldoni mentions that his beard is probably rubbing off on her, to which Lively responds that her spray tan might be transferring onto him. Baldoni then comments, “It smells good,” and Lively shuts the interaction down by saying that the scent comes from her body makeup.
