The legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively heated up after never-before-seen footage It ends with us surfaced and created a new drama in the courtroom.
The clip recently appeared in a filing and showed Lively walking up to Baldoni during a scene in the hospital hallway, holding his arms and giving him a quick kiss before stepping away.
The actor’s legal team said this moment was not in the script, claiming the actress approved and directed the action during filming in May 2023.
According to court documents, his team argued that the scene showed Lively adding the kiss himself in each take.
However, this claim directly challenged her lawsuit, in which she accused Baldoni of impromptu kissing on set.
The timing of the clip also became important as filming took place months before the Hollywood strikes.
Another simple favor actress previously returned to the set in January 2024 with a rule that there would be no more unplanned kissing.
While the actor’s and director’s lawyers pointed to the newly found footage as evidence that she participated in the same behavior she accused him of.
The legal battle became even more complicated after a New York judge dismissed her claims against social media strategist Jed Wallace.
The actress’ team said Wallace helped her fellow actor create an online smear campaign. The judge ruled that Wallace could not be charged in New York, but noted that she could pursue him in Texas.
Additionally, Blake’s attorneys continued to accuse Justin and his associates of hiding evidence and using digital tools to damage her reputation.
While both teams pushed back fiercely, the situation continued to heat up and showed no signs of slowing down.
