Justin Baldoni Breaks Silence in First Sighting Since Suing Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds for $400 Million

Mar. 15, 2025

Justin Baldonihas been spotted for the first time sincefiling his $400 million lawsuitagainst hisIt Ends with UscostarBlake Livelyand her husbandRyan Reynolds.

“Grateful to be with the family, man,” he said, adding of how he is faring, “We have amazing friends and family. Faith … faith.”

Baldoni is suing Lively, 37, and Reynolds, 48, as well as their publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR, Inc. on claims of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional interference with contractual relations, intentional interference with prospective economic advantage, and negligent interference with prospective economic advantage.

Attorneys for theIt Ends with Usactor-director filed on behalf of Baldoni, producerJamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis publicistMelissa Nathan.

Justin Baldoni in Los Angeles on Dec. 4, 2024.Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty

Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty

It further included accusations that Baldoni and Heath entered her trailer “uninvited” while she was undressed or “vulnerable” and alleged Baldoni “suddenly” pressured her to “simulate full nudity” in a birth scene and “improvised physical intimacy that had not been rehearsed, choreographed or discussed with Ms. Lively, with no intimacy coordinator involved."

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in New York City on July 22, 2024; Justin Baldoni in New York City on Aug. 6, 2024.Taylor Hill/WireImage; John Nacion/Variety via Getty

Taylor Hill/WireImage; John Nacion/Variety via Getty

Lively’s complaint claimed that in the aftermath of the experience and the alleged smear campaign against her, the actress-producer “suffered from grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety.”

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni inIt Ends with Us(2024).Sony Pictures Entertainment (2)

Sony Pictures Entertainment (2)

The statement added, “Let’s not forget, Ms. Lively and her team attempted to bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for heinously selfish reasons through their own dangerous manipulation of the media before even taking any actual legal action. We know the truth, and now the public does too. Justin and his team have nothing to hide, documents do not lie.”

Responding to the director-star’s defamation and extortion suit filed Thursday,Lively’s legal team said in a statement, “This latest lawsuit from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and its associates is another chapter in the abuser playbook."

“This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim,” the statement continued. “This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender.”

“Wayfarer has opted to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public’s ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations,” the statement read.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni at theIt Ends with Uspremiere in New York City, August 2024.Gotham/WireImage (2)

Gotham/WireImage (2)

“Their response tosexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it’s her fault,” the statement concluded. “Their justification for why this happened to her: look what she was wearing.  In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”

Baldoni’s new lawsuit followed his legal team filing a $250 millionsuit against theNew York Timesfor alleged libel on Dec. 31, 2024, over theirarticlecovering Lively’s complaint. It alleges the publication used “‘cherry-picked’ and altered communications stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced to mislead.”

In that article, Lively provided a statement: “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”

source: people.com