🤯 INCRÍVEL: Justin Baldoni’s Legal Battle With Blake Lively Takes Unexpected Turn As More “Explosive” Messages Threaten To Surface 😲

As the case inches closer to trial, the dispute between the stars of It Ends With Us has become messy, involving publicists, leaked messages, and competing claims from both sides.

A federal judge has allowed Justin Baldoni’s defamation case to proceed

Image credits: Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty Images

Lewis Liman ruled that Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer, can proceed with its defamation lawsuit against his former publicist, Stephanie Jones.

The decision effectively rejected Jones’ attempts to dismiss the case and allowed the claims to be tested through a full evidentiary process.

Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, told Page Six, saying, “The court rejected Stephanie Jones’ effort to dismiss the case and will allow Wayfarer’s claims, including defamation, to be tested on a full evidentiary record.”

Image credits: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

The ruling is particularly important because it opens the possibility of the discovery of communications involving Jones, Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane, and even Lively and Ryan Reynolds themselves.

According to Wayfarer’s representatives, the claims go beyond minor disputes, alleging Jones acted in “bad faith” by feeding harmful narratives and undermining her own client during a critical period.

“We are confident the full record will expose how these narratives were manufactured and why.”

ADVERTISEMENT

At the center of the case are leaked text messages by Jones that triggered lawsuits

Image credits: Sony Pictures Releasing

The lawsuit was triggered after Wayfarer claimed Jones “maliciously” leaked private communications that ultimately contributed to a bombshell New York Times report portraying Baldoni as an alleged s*xual harasser who orchestrated a smear campaign against Lively.

The timeline traced back to 2024, around the release of It Ends With Us. During the period, publicist Jennifer Abel left Jonesworks to start her own firm, and Baldoni also indicated he would part ways with Jones.

Image credits: Jose Perez/Getty Images

ADVERTISEMENT

Shortly after, Jones allegedly obtained Abel’s work phone and accessed messages exchanged with crisis publicist Melissa Nathan.

Those messages, some of which included phrases like “We can bury anyone”, became central to Lively’s lawsuit and were later cited as evidence of a coordinated PR attack. Baldoni’s team, however, argued the texts were selectively presented to create a misleading narrative.

Image credits: Gotham/Getty Images

Jones has strongly denied leaking anything unlawfully, maintaining she turned over the messages in compliance with a subpoena issued by Lively’s legal team.

Her lawyer has also pushed back aggressively, accusing Baldoni’s side of spreading “falsehoods” and attempting to deflect from their own alleged misconduct.

The new development came as multiple lawsuits involving Baldoni and Lively have unfolded

Image credits: John Nacion/Getty Images

ADVERTISEMENT

Lively originally filed her complaint in December 2024, accusing Baldoni of s*xual harassment, retaliation, and emotional distress, all of which he has denied.

Baldoni responded with a massive $400 million countersuit accusing Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion, though parts of that case were later dismissed.

Adding to the legal gridlock, Jones has also filed her own lawsuit against Baldoni and his associates, while Baldoni’s team continues to pursue claims against her.

The judge has now scheduled a status conference for April 2, with trial still expected to begin on May 18. A prior six-hour settlement meeting between Baldoni and Lively failed to produce any agreement, signaling that both sides are preparing for a full courtroom battle.

As the trial approaches, tensions between the two sides have only intensified after “document dump” accusations

Image credits: MEGA/Getty Images

Baldoni’s legal team recently accused Lively’s attorneys of overwhelming them with a “document dump,” submitting nearly 1,000 potential exhibits and naming over 40 possible witnesses, per People.

In court filings, Baldoni’s lawyers argued they were being forced to review “voluminous amounts of plainly inadmissible material” under tight deadlines, calling the move impractical for trial preparation.

Image credits: XNY/Star Max/Getty Images

Lively’s team, however, dismissed the claim as a delay tactic, arguing the requests for extensions were simply an attempt to stall proceedings.

The judge ultimately granted a one-week extension and approved adjustments to the pretrial schedule, giving Baldoni’s team more time to prepare.

As details continue to surface, online viewers’ reactions have been mixed

What a surprise, no settlement today between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Justin was smiling exiting the courthouse, Blake was not, take from that what you will. pic.twitter.com/3AGcsdaoEB

— Shiny Happy Person (@HRH_SHP) February 11, 2026

ADVERTISEMENT

“Everything I’ve learned about these two has been against my own will,” one user joked, capturing the sentiment of many who feel the case has become impossible to ignore.

Others leaned into the drama, with one saying, “They should make a movie about the case,” and another adding, “Wonder who will play them in the movie.”

At the same time, some dismissed the situation altogether. “This is such an uninteresting case with no wrongdoing from anyone,” one person wrote, while another added, “I can’t believe people are still caught up in this lol.”

“They should make a movie about the case,” wrote one user

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Thanks! Check out the results:

Total votes ·

Newsletter

Subscribe to Access
Exclusive Polls

By entering your email and clicking Subscribe, you’re agreeing to let us send you customized marketing messages about us and our advertising partners. You are also agreeing to our Privacy Policy.

Thank you! You’ve successfully subscribed to newsletters!