Jamey Heath — Wayfarer Studios CEO
Steve Sarowitz — Wayfarer Studios co-founder
IEWU Movie LLC — It Ends With Us production entity
Melissa Nathan — Crisis communications (TAG PR)
Jennifer Abel — Publicist (formerly RWA Communications)
The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG) — Crisis PR firm
"It Ends With Us" (2024), an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's domestic violence novel, grossed $350 million worldwide but was overshadowed by a public falling-out between its leads. On December 31, 2024, Lively filed a federal lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios.
Lively alleged sexual harassment on set and claimed Baldoni's crisis PR team orchestrated a coordinated online smear campaign against her after she raised concerns about on-set conduct. Baldoni's side has denied the harassment claims and argues the PR activity was standard crisis management after Lively and Ryan Reynolds allegedly sought to seize creative control of the film and publicly smear Baldoni to cover it up.
Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit in January 2025, alleging Lively and Reynolds "hijacked" his film and waged their own campaign to destroy him. That countersuit was dismissed by a judge in June 2025. In January 2026, hundreds of exhibits were unsealed, including Sony executives privately calling Lively a "f---ing terrorist" while publicly supporting her — a detail both sides have used to bolster their narratives.
On April 2, 2026, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of 13 claims, including all sexual harassment charges. The judge found Lively was an independent contractor not covered by federal employment law, and that filming occurred in New Jersey, outside California's jurisdiction. Three claims survive for trial: breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding/abetting retaliation against Wayfarer Studios and the PR defendants. Baldoni personally is no longer a defendant on these surviving claims. Settlement talks on April 7 failed. Trial is set for May 18, 2026.
- 01Lively alleges Baldoni's PR team ran a coordinated astroturfing campaign — planting and amplifying negative content online to destroy her credibility after she raised on-set concerns.
- 02Baldoni's side argues the PR response was standard crisis management after Lively and Reynolds attempted to take over the film and publicly destroy Baldoni's reputation to cover their own conduct.
- 03All sexual harassment claims were dismissed — the judge ruled Lively was an independent contractor, not an employee, and New Jersey filming fell outside California jurisdiction.
- 04Unsealed Sony communications showed executives privately blaming Lively while publicly supporting her — both sides cite this as evidence for their position.
- 05Baldoni's $400M countersuit was dismissed in June 2025. He is no longer personally named as a defendant on the surviving claims.
With 10 of 13 claims dismissed — including every sexual harassment charge — this case has narrowed significantly. What's left are retaliation and breach of contract claims against Wayfarer Studios, IEWU Movie LLC, and the PR defendants — Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel of TAG PR are still in. Baldoni personally is out. At its core, this could come down to a straightforward breach of contract dispute. But what makes it worth watching is the trial itself — the evidence that comes in could pull back the curtain on how Hollywood production companies actually operate behind the scenes. The internal dynamics, the PR strategies, the power plays between talent and studios. Win or lose, the discovery and testimony in this case could reveal more about how the industry works than the legal outcome itself.