Lawyers for Justin Baldoni’s production company insisted Wayfarer Studios is not to blame for Blake Lively’s career losses, claiming she is a “bully” and has a track record of lackluster business ventures during a pre-trial hearing on Tuesday.
According to the Daily Mail, attorneys for the “It Ends With Us” director said Lively’s unpopularity was to blame for unsuccessful efforts, including her Betty Buzz drinks, rather than a smear campaign — which Lively has accused Baldoni of orchestrating.
The co-stars submitted evidence in court ahead of a planned May 18 trial stemming from a December 2024 sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni and his firm.
Baldoni’s lawyers claimed that because she only works sporadically, the $132 million her team says she would’ve earned over the next five years isn’t accurate.
Per the Daily Mail, Baldoni’s attorney Amir Kaltgrad said Lively had a “scattered work history,” citing alleged “evidence she didn’t want to work full time,” and claimed she only earned $21 million from several film projects in the eight years leading up to the 2024 domestic violence drama.
Baldoni’s attorneys also asserted in court that Lively’s “bullying” of Kate Middleton’s photoshop drama in 2024 was proof of a pattern of negative behaviors — and that the incident caused Lively self-inflicted reputational damage.
Lively, 38, seemingly mocked the Princess of Wales at the time after the royal shared an apparently photoshopped image of her family, with the “Gossip Girl” alum subsequently sharing a cartoonishly altered photo on her own Instagram.
Lively was compelled to apologize after Middleton’s cancer diagnosis was revealed days later, calling it “a silly post around the ‘photoshop fails’ frenzy” and admitting the incident “mortified” her.
Court docs filed earlier this month revealed that Lively’s claims that a “mean girl” campaign waged against her ultimately cost her $300 million in lost profits and potential income, with a majority in lost opportunities — including studio films, independent projects and a limited TV series — between August 2024 and August 2029.
She initially claimed in November 2025 that Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign cost her $161 million.
Baldoni has consistently and vehemently denied wrongdoing. A $400 million countersuit filed by him in January 2025 was tossed by a judge that June.
Reps for Lively and Baldoni did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment on Tuesday.
In a devastating blow, a judge threw out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims earlier this month, leaving breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation on the table for the May 18 trial.
According to the Daily Mail, Lively’s lawyer Sigrid McCawley said the “A Simple Favor” actress is looking ahead to the trial.
“Blake’s hope is to be able to have her voice heard in that courtroom and that’s what we’re focused on right now,” McCawley said outside court, adding that she’s “expecting to take the stand.”
“She’s feeling really good…she’s finally at a point where she will be able to tell her side,” the attorney added.
When asked if any of the celebrities dragged into the drama — including former BFF Taylor Swift — might testify, McCawley said the actress has “really tried ferociously to protect her friends.”
“This is really about her and what she experienced. That’s what the case is going to center on.”
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