What unsealed court documents reveal about the Lively-Baldoni legal saga

Nbcwashington · May 06, 2026 · 766 words · By Daniel Arkin; NBC News

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What to know about What unsealed court documents reveal about the Lively-Baldoni legal saga

Newly unsealed documents in the legal battle between “It Ends With Us” co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni pull back the curtain on a monthslong courtroom clash that riveted the entertainment industry.

Claims checked 14

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

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Center100%

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6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

The documents, entered into the public record shortly after Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement deal, provide a window into the inner workings of the case, the slate of potential witnesses, and a cache of prospective evidence.

Common ground

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Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: What unsealed court documents reveal about the Lively-Baldoni legal saga?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that some $250,000 for her participation in a 2024 event backed by Meta’s Facebook?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/unsealed-court-do…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 14 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 6

schedule Pending 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

help Insufficient Evidence 1

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Claim 1: “some $250,000 for her participation in a 2024 event backed by Meta’s Facebook.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 2: “Negative comments about her more than doubled around the same time, according to a social media sentiment tracker cited by the report.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “the beauty brand “went dark” on social media between Aug. 14 and Sept. 9, just 10 days after launch, due to negative sentiment about Lively brewing online.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Lively’s allegation that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, orchestrated a retaliatory smear campaign after she spoke out about sexual harassment she claimed she experienced on the set of “It Ends With Us,” which Baldoni also directed.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources, including Wikipedia and news reports from abc.net.au, confirm that Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — It Ends with Us is a 2024 American romantic drama film directed by Justin Baldoni and written by Christy Hall, based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover. The film stars Blake Lively alongside Baldoni,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us_(film)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The production of the 2024 American film It Ends with Us, starring American actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, has been the subject of controversy due to highly publicized disputes and litigation…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us_controversy

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Justin Louis Baldoni (born January 24, 1984) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Rafael Solano on the CW telenovela Jane the Virgin (2014–2019) and for starring in and dire…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Baldoni

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 5: “The files contain dozens of pages detailing Lively’s income from partnerships with various luxury brands and companies, including roughly $7.5 million for appearances in advertisements for the cosmetic giant L’Oreal.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of general information about L'Oreal's slogans and a German news snippet about the settlement, but does not mention the $7.5 million figure.

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web search NEUTRAL — L’Oreal – This is an ad for men by McCann Worldgroup Deutschland.
https://www.thedrum.com/news/l-oreal-paris-turns-the-tables-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Kurz vor Prozessbeginn: Blake Lively und Justin Baldoni beenden ihren Rechtsstreit. Vor 17 Stunden. Für später speichern.
https://news.google.com/stories/CAAqNggKIjBDQklTSGpvSmMzUnZj…

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web search NEUTRAL — L'Oréal's advertising slogan, "Because I'm worth it", was created by a 23-year-old English art director and introduced in 1973 by the model and actress Joanne Dusseau.[67] In the mid-2000s, this was r…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L'Oréal

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Claim 6: “Lively’s lawyers also took depositions from veterans of the film industry, including Vivian Baker, a makeup artist who has long worked with Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, and received a credit on “It Ends With Us.””

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim is explicitly mentioned in one web search result ('Unsealed Lively-Baldoni court documents...'), but no other independent source corroborates the specific deposition of Vivian Baker.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tyler Christopher Baker (November 11, 1972 – October 31, 2023) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Nikolas Cassadine (1996–1999, 2003–2011, 2013–2016) and Connor Bishop (2004–200…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyler_Christopher_(actor)

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Richard Roman Grechko (1 November 1946 – 17 March 1990), better known as Ric Grech, was a British rock musician. He is best known for playing bass guitar and violin with the rock band Family as well …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ric_Grech

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anora is a 2024 American romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Sean Baker. It stars Mikey Madison as Anora "Ani" Mikheeva, a lap dancer from New York who marries the we…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anora

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 7: “The cache of documents features a 19-page transcript of a deposition from Colleen Hoover, the bestselling author of “It Ends With Us.””

SINGLE SOURCE

While sources confirm Colleen Hoover's involvement with the film and her comments on the drama, none of the provided evidence confirms the existence of a 19-page deposition transcript in the court cache.

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web search NEUTRAL — The film, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by the American author Colleen Hoover, was directed by Baldoni, and produced by Baldoni and Lively among others. It was released in August 2024 to co…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us_controversy

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web search NEUTRAL — Colleen Hoover says legal drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni overshadowed "It Ends with Us." The author said she was "completely unaware" of drama while the movie was being made. Hoover sai…
https://www.businessinsider.com/colleen-hoover-response-live…

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web search NEUTRAL — Sony’s It Ends With Us adapted Colleen Hoover’s powerful story about domestic violence and a resilient woman, but drama between stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni behind the scenes and afterwards h…
https://deadline.com/feature/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-feu…

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Claim 8: “Newly unsealed documents in the legal battle between “It Ends With Us” co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni pull back the curtain on a monthslong courtroom clash”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results (News1, Fox News, and another source) confirm that court documents, including text messages and audio, have been unsealed regarding the legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Blake Ellender Brown (born August 25, 1987), known professionally as Blake Lively, is an American actress and entrepreneur. A daughter of actor Ernie Lively, she made her professional debut in his di…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blake_Lively

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “around $200,000 from Tiffany”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found for this claim in the provided search results.

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Claim 10: “The retail giant Target expected that Blake Brown sales would hit around $821,000 a week in 2024, but the line’s skin care products significantly underperformed projections”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

info

Claim 11: “Lively was contractually set to receive roughly $360,000 for wearing Charlotte Tilbury makeup at the 2022 Met Gala”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific figure of $360,000 for Charlotte Tilbury makeup at the 2022 Met Gala is mentioned in one web search result ('What unsealed court documents reveal...'), but not corroborated by others.

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web search NEUTRAL — Shop luxury makeup, skincare and fragrance and discover Charlotte's award-winning collection of beauty products and online exclusives.
https://www.charlottetilbury.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — The documents also show that Lively was contractually set to receive roughly $360,000 for wearing Charlotte Tilbury makeup at the 2022 Met Gala; around $200,000 from Tiffany; and some $250,000 for her…
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/what-unsealed-court-doc…

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web search NEUTRAL — Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds slay the Met Gala once again. See how Blake's aka "Lady Lively's" custom tri-tone Versace gown transform on the steps at Met G...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebatweUrQws

info

Claim 12: “The roster of potential expert witnesses included people Lively’s lawyers believed could illustrate the impact of Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign, including USC marketing professor Dina Mayzlin and Hollywood lawyer Richard Marks.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The web search results for 'Dina Mayzlin' and 'Richard Marks' returned unrelated individuals (a drag performer and a musician), providing no evidence to confirm their role as expert witnesses in this specific case.

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web search NEUTRAL — Dina Martina ... Dina Martina is the stage name of Grady West, [1] a drag performer who has also been described as a comedian, dancer, performance artist, and singer. [2][3][4]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dina_Martina

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web search NEUTRAL — Tragic singer, horrible dancer and surreal raconteur, the hysterically funny Dina Martina debuted at Seattle’s Center on Contemporary Art in 1989, instantly gleaning reviews that dubbed her “magically…
https://dinamartina.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — From provider identification to contracting and credentialing, Dina simplifies, organizes, and aligns your approach to in-home service network management with key outcomes and performance milestones.
https://www.dinacare.com/

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Claim 13: “Hoover told Lively’s lawyers that she did not believe she had significant creative “input” during the production of the movie, even though she was credited as an executive producer.”

SINGLE SOURCE

No evidence in the provided search results confirms the specific testimony regarding Hoover's lack of creative input during production.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — It Ends with Us is a 2024 American romantic drama film directed by Justin Baldoni and written by Christy Hall, based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/It_Ends_with_Us_(film)

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web search NEUTRAL — The new Blake Lively movie, It Ends with Us, about a romance that turns abusive is adapted from the bestseller by Colleen Hoover.These "CoHorts", as her fans call themselves, put Hoovers back catalogu…
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20240808-it-ends-with-us…

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web search NEUTRAL — “The end product — the movie It Ends With Us — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,” reads the statement. “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives o…
https://www.showbiz411.com/2026/05/04/it-ends-with-this-blak…

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Claim 14: “Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement deal”

CORROBORATED

Four independent cross-references (Newsweek, Flipboard, and two reports from Krdo) explicitly state that Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement.

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+ 4 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.