Justin Baldoni strongly believes Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds' net worth is relevant to their upcoming court trial.
Justin Baldoni strongly believes Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds' net worth is relevant to their upcoming court trial.
In legal documents filed by the 42-year-old filmmaker on Friday, he argued against 38-year-old Lively's previous insistence that her and Reynolds', 49, wealth is not significant to the case and risks 'influencing or triggering biases against wealthy individuals' among jurors.
According to legal paperwork obtained by TMZ, Baldoni thinks the financial component is a key factor because the actress has alleged she's lost millions in revenue due to his alleged 'smear campaign' against her.
Baldoni, who acted and starred in the 2024 drama It Ends With Us with Lively, thinks Reynolds' income is just as pertinent because his wife 'typically does not accept acting opportunities which conflict with Reynolds' acting schedule – particularly when he is able to garner a higher income for his movies than she can.'
The couple is believed to be worth a combined $400 million.
However, the judge previously threw out 10 of Lively's 13 claims against Baldoni, including her defamation claim – which debunks the argument that his actions affected her income.
Justin Baldoni strongly believes Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds' net worth is relevant to their upcoming court trial; pictured in February
In legal documents filed by the 42-year-old filmmaker on Friday, he argued against 38-year-old Lively's previous insistence that her and Reynolds', 49, wealth is not significant to the case and risks 'influencing or triggering biases against wealthy individuals' among jurors; pictured in April 2025
Baldoni has also requested, according to the outlet, that Reynolds' Nicepool character from Deadpool & Wolverine be presented in the forthcoming May trial.
He is arguing that the onscreen persona mocks him, supporting his bullying allegation.
His legal team wants to use Nicepool to show the jury his image was publicly attacked, forcing him to enlist a crisis management strategy.
Days ago Lively filed various motions accusing Baldoni's camp of angling to flood the trial with 'gossip,' character attacks and details of her and her husband's financial business – evidence she says has no bearing on the case and risks biasing a jury.
She asked the judge to exclude references to negative news articles or online chatter that portray her as a 'mean girl,' text messages between Hollywood executives that paint her as difficult, and clips from Deadpool & Wolverine.
Her lawyers argued that much of the material Baldoni’s team wants to introduce amounts to inadmissible hearsay and improper character evidence.
They claim his camp is attempting to put her character on trial, with evidence that is largely irrelevant to the core dispute.
In December 2024 Lively named co-star and director Baldoni in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional stress.
Baldoni has also requested, according to the outlet, that Reynolds' Nicepool character from Deadpool & Wolverine be presented in the forthcoming May trial, arguing that the onscreen persona mocks him; pictured in August 2024
Baldoni and Lively's court battle stems from their 2024 film It Ends With Us
Within the suit she outlined missed work opportunities, including hosting the season 50 premiere of Saturday Night Live in September 2024.
'The effects on Ms. Lively’s professional life were immediate and substantial,' said the filing, via Just Jared.
'Given the ongoing nature of the campaign and the associated negative public sentiment, Ms. Lively did not believe she could proceed with public appearances or events without being forced to openly discuss what happened on set,' the filing stated.
It was added, 'For example, Ms. Lively canceled a critical Target corporate event for her hair care company, and she backed out of her scheduled role to host the premiere episode of the 50th anniversary season of Saturday Night Live in September 2024.'
Furthermore, the lawsuit claimed the smear campaign damaged Lively's business and inflicted 'severe emotional distress' upon her family.
Lively also alleged that Baldoni showed her explicit videos and photos of other women, openly discussed his struggles with pornography, and made inappropriate remarks about her appearance.
The trial is set to begin on May 18.