Hugh Jackman Dragged into It Ends With Us Legal Drama
Hugh Jackman is the latest name to get sucked into co-stars' Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's ongoing legal feud.
As The Daily Mail states, the X-Men star, 56, 'will be deposed' about Deadpool & Wolverine co-star and Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds' conduct during the making of the contentious 2024 film.
"As Ryan's good friend, who...was with Blake and Ryan many times in private during that time, his deposition will likely be crucial" an insider told the outlet on Thursday.
Witnesses are questioned under oath during depositions, which are an integral part of the pre-trial discovery process.
Lively, 37, filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in December, accusing him of sexual harassment and creating a "hostile work environment on set," with Baldoni, 41, returning serve with his own US $400million filing against the actress and Reynolds in January.
All parties have denied the claims.
Jackman is expected to help give "a full scope of Ryan's conduct during the time that It Ends With Us was filmed".
Filming for their movie "Deadpool & Wolverine" began in May 2023, around the same time that "It Ends With Us" was in production.
Jackman also helped to promote "It Ends With Us" by attending the movie's New York City premiere with his pal Reynolds and was present when "not-so-subtle disses" about Baldoni allegedly took place on the set of "Deadpool & Wolverine".
Baldoni's lawsuit alleges Lively and Reynolds hijacked both the production and marketing of "It Ends With Us", and manipulated media to smear Baldoni and others on the production with false allegations of harassment.
The lawsuit also claims Lively used Baldoni as a scapegoat for her "publicly tainted image" and leveraged "her power as a wealthy celebrity to take creative control of the film".
Responding to the filing at the time, Lively's lawyers, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher, accused Baldoni and his team of using a DARVO tactic, which stands for "deny, attack, reverse victim and offender".
Their statement said: "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. This is what experts call DARVO."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
See - Sada Elbalad
a day ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Scooter Braun Subpoenaed in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Case
Yara Sameh Blake Lively is serving Scooter Braun and Hybe America, where he serves as CEO, with subpoenas in her ongoing lawsuit against "It Ends With Us"co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Hybe Corp., the South Korean entertainment giant, has an investment stake in The Agency Group (TAG), the publicity firm founded by crisis PR veteran Melissa Nathan, who was brought aboard to represent Baldoni around the time of the movie's release in late summer 2024. Months later, Nathan was among those named in a lawsuit filed by Lively alleging that Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer retaliated against her by weaponizing social media after she voiced claims of sexual harassment. Braun's subpoena in the high-profile case comes only two days after a federal judge in New York granted a motion to dismiss Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, personal publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. Lively's original lawsuit, which began as a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights Commission, remains set for trial on March 9, 2026. Braun and Baldoni have been friendly in the past, and once spoke together on a Podcast about the #MeToo movement. Lively and Braun share another person in common, albeit under very different circumstances — Taylor Swift, who has been a longtime friend of Lively's. The same can't be said of Braun, whose business dealings as related to his acquisition of Big Machine Records and, with it, ownership of Swift's catalog of master recordings, drove a public wedge between the two music moguls in 2019. In a recent interview, Braun recalled the moment he saw Swift's Tumblr post where she said learning he had control of her catalog was her 'worst case scenario' after 'incessant, manipulative bullying I've received at his hands for years.' The sale led the Grammy winner to re-record and release all but two of her initial six records. Braun's remarks came a few weeks after Swift bought back her catalog for her first six albums in a deal with Shamrock Capital. Like Braun, Swift has also been caught up in the Baldoni-Lively battle. She permitted to use one of her songs in Lively's cut of the film, and also faced the prospect of having to testify regarding her role in supporting Lively's script changes to the movie's opening scene. In an email exchange between Lively and Baldoni that was made public in legal filings, Lively referred to Reynolds and Swift as her 'dragons.') While Lively's legal team declared Monday's ruling a 'total victory,' Judge Lewis J. Liman of the Southern District did leave the door open for Wayfarer and Baldoni's legal team, led by Bryan Freedman, to file an amended lawsuit relating to limited contractual obligations. He also denied a request that Freedman's side be ordered to pay legal fees, albeit without prejudice. In his response to the ruling, Freedman said that 'while the Court dismissed the defamation-related claims, the Court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations. This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened.' read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean News 3 Killed in Shooting Attack in Thailand
See - Sada Elbalad
3 days ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Marvel Won't Have to Turn Over Ryan Reynolds' Nicepool Documents to Justin Baldoni
Yara Sameh Nicepool's introduction in Marvel's 2024 blockbuster "Deadpool & Wolverine" may be the most observed four minutes of screen time in recent memory. The introduction of the character Nicepool in Marvel's 2024 hit 'Deadpool & Wolverine' might mark the most scrutinized four minutes of screen time in recent memory. On Monday, Judge Lewis Liman threw out Justin Baldoni's defamation case against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, which means that Marvel won't have to turn over what it calls 'proprietary and highly confidential' documents and communications about the development of Reynolds' Nicepool character. While Judge Liman threw out Baldoni's defamation case, he is allowing the director to file an amended complaint by June 23 regarding interference with contracts, however, the Nicepool subpoena was tied to the defamation claims, which are now dead. 'The motion by Marvel Entertainment, LLC ('Marvel') to quash a subpoena issued to Marvel from the Wayfarer Parties and for a protective order prohibiting the disclosure of Marvel's confidential documents is GRANTED,' Judge Liman wrote. 'The information sought is no longer relevant to a claim or defense in this action. Moreover, assuming the information were relevant, it would not be proportional to the needs of the case and the potential harm to Marvel of disclosing confidential commercial information.' The move comes months of back and forth on the matter between attorneys for Baldoni and the studio, which was trying to quash the director's efforts to obtain the material in his ongoing legal battle with Lively. On January 7, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman, sent a litigation hold letter to Marvel president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger, instructing the studio to preserve all relevant documents and data with regard to Baldoni. That letter came one week before the 'It Ends With Us' director filed a civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds for $400 million, claiming that the married power couple sought to 'destroy' him with false harassment claims and an alleged smear campaign. Marvel was subpoenaed on February 14. Baldoni's attorneys have argued that Reynolds was intentionally mocking and bullying Baldoni in a four-minute scene in Marvel's 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' which was released by Disney in July. On screen, Reynolds played 'Nicepool,' a misogynistic alternate version of the titular protagonist Deadpool, and served up such lines as 'Where in God's name is the intimacy coordinator?!' while complimenting Ladypool for 'snapping back' into shape after giving birth. The lines echo elements of Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni and two of his publicists, in which she claims she was the victim of sexual harassment on the set of 'It Ends With Us' and a subsequent smear campaign for speaking up about alleged mistreatment. Lively, who appears in the same scene as Ladypool, accused Baldoni of sexually harassing and fat-shaming her postpartum body on the set of 'It Ends With Us.' When Deadpool points out Nicepool's sexism in the scene, the latter replies, 'It's OK, I identify as a feminist.' During the development, production, and marketing of 'It Ends With Us,' a drama about domestic violence, Baldoni often touted his credentials as a feminist and ally to women. On April 2, the studio's attorney, Adam Levin at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp, wrote to Freedman, asking him to withdraw the subpoena because disclosure of the documents 'is likely to substantially harm Marvel' and 'irrelevant to the claims asserted in this case.' Levin added, 'The requested documents are particularly sensitive because they relate to the development of a character in an ongoing movie franchise. Marvel has built the success of the MCU in large part by interconnecting storylines, plots, and characters across its titles, including 'crossover' events and sequels. Whether and how such elements will appear in upcoming, unreleased projects is the subject of much public interest, and this information is closely guarded by Marvel.' The Marvel attorney asked Freedman to agree to defer the return date of the subpoena 'until after the Court decides Reynolds' pending motion to dismiss.' On April 25, Marvel attorney Jacob Albertson wrote to Judge Liman to request that the court quash the Baldoni subpoena. Albertson made similar arguments to those Levin previously made and added that producing any documents and communications concerning Baldoni would prove to be 'unduly burdensome.' He added, 'The Wayfarer Parties certainly have other, less burdensome means through which they can obtain relevant information (if any exists) from the parties in the action, such as a request for admission or a party deposition.' Three days later, Baldoni's lawyers, Mitchell Schuster and Kevin Fritz of Meister Seelig & Fein, shot back with a letter to Judge Liman. 'Marvel does not explain how the Subpoena is unduly burdensome, especially given the Wayfarer Parties' agreement to narrow the scope thereof, and Marvel does not claim it will incur significant expense to locate and produce the documents,' the letter stated. Freedman's initial litigation hold letter was far broader and asked the studio to preserve communications concerning Tim Miller, who directed the first 'Deadpool' movie but did not return for the sequel or 'Deadpool & Wolverine.' Miller and Reynolds are known to have clashed. 'The suggestion by Marvel that the Wayfarer Parties should obtain documents and information concerning 'Nicepool' from the parties hereto including from Ryan Reynolds himself is insincere because Marvel also seeks a protective order 'prohibiting the disclosure of Marvel's confidential documents by any party or other nonparty in this action,'' Schuster and Fritz added. The attorneys argued that the subpoena only seeks documents concerning one character — 'Nicepool' — who appears in one already released movie. They note that Nicepool does not appear in any other entry in Marvel's film franchise and will not appear in any future outings, given that he was killed off in 'Deadpool & Wolverine.' The letter also took issue with Marvel's move to stall pending a determination of Reynolds' motion to dismiss. 'Reynolds himself has neither sought nor obtained a stay of discovery in connection with his dismissal motion,' the letter stated. 'Additionally … there are not substantial grounds for dismissal of the claims against him. And in the unlikely event claims against Reynolds are dismissed with prejudice, the information sought in the Subpoenas remains relevant as to the suit against Lively, as the Wayfarer Parties contend Reynolds was acting as an agent of Lively.' Baldoni's battle with Marvel is merely a subplot in a much larger war between the director and his 'It Ends With Us' star. There are currently multiple lawsuits that involve 'It Ends With Us' parties, the most recent one being filed by Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios against his former publicist, Stephanie Jones, who he alleges 'maliciously' leaked text messages that sparked the entire saga. At the center of the sprawling back-and-forth, Baldoni is suing and being sued by Lively over what happened on the set of and in the run-up to the release of the 2024 domestic violence drama. Lively's lawyers celebrated Judge Liman's decision on Monday. 'As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the court saw right through it,' Lively's lawyers said on June 9 after the dismissal. 'We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni […] and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.' Baldoni's attorneys vowed to keep fighting, noting 'Ms. Lively and her team's predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling.' Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman, added in a statement: 'While the court dismissed the defamation related claims, the court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations. This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened.' There has been much discussion about why the development of Nicepool was relevant in a legal drama that stems from a different movie ('It Ends With Us') that was produced and distributed by a different studio (Sony). But Baldoni's lawyers say the breadcrumbs were left in plain sight. In the end credits of 'Deadpool & Wolverine,' the actor who plays Nicepool is listed as 'Gordon Reynolds' and not Ryan Reynolds. Lively subsequently thanked Gordon Reynolds in the end credits of 'It Ends With Us,' drawing a throughline to Nicepool. Lively herself has used similar language that mirrors lines in 'Deadpool & Wolverine.' In a July 22 Instagram post that tagged @deadpoolmovie and @itendswithusmovie, Lively wrote 'about Nice men who use feminism as a tool.' For its part, Marvel previously noted the intense media scrutiny in the case as grounds to quash the subpoena, that interest began long before the parties began suing one another, with seemingly innocuous observations from fans about members of the cast of 'It Ends With Us' unfollowing Baldoni on social media last summer ahead of the film's release. It continues with recent reports that Travis Kelce has unfollowed Reynolds on Instagram, and Kelce's girlfriend, Taylor Swift, appears to be keeping her distance from the drama, even though her name has surfaced repeatedly in coverage of the case given her friendship with Lively during the production of 'It Ends With Us.' read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
See - Sada Elbalad
3 days ago
- See - Sada Elbalad
Justin Baldoni to March Forward with Blake Lively Legal Battle despite $400M Lawsuit Dismissal
Yara Sameh Justin Baldoni plans to keep his legal battle with 'It Ends With Us' co-star Blake Lively after a judge dismissed his $400 million defamation lawsuit against her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. 'Ms. Lively and her team's predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling,' Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman said on Tuesday in a statement. 'While the court dismissed the defamation related claims, the court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations. This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened.' Freedman continued, 'Most importantly, Ms. Lively's own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking. We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity.' On Monday, a judge tossed out the countersuit filed by Baldoni that accused Lively and Reynolds of extortion and other claims. Judge Lewis J. Liman, who found that Lively's accusations of sexual harassment were legally protected and therefore immune from suit, allowed Baldoni to amend and refile a couple of allegations regarding interference with contracts. Baldoni's lawsuit against The New York Times, which Baldoni claimed had conspired with Lively and Reynolds to destroy his career with false allegations, was also dismissed. 'As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the court saw right through it,' Lively's lawyers said after the dismissal. 'We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni […] and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.' Later on Tuesday, Lively's lawyers Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb responded to Baldoni's vow to 'march forward' with his case. 'No amount of spin, bluster, or creative accounting from Baldoni's legal team will change the embarrassing reality staring them in the face: the plan to sue Blake Lively and her family into oblivion has been a complete and total failure,' they said in a statement. Lively has sued Baldoni in federal court for sexual harassment and retaliation, alleging the director and producers of 'It Ends With Us' launched a smear campaign against her after she complained about the conditions on the film's set. Lively has filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni in federal court, alleging the director and producers of "It Ends With Us" launched a smear campaign against her after she complained about the conditions on the film's set. A trial on Lively's complaint against Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, has been set for March 2026. read more New Tourism Route To Launch in Old Cairo Ahmed El Sakka-Led Play 'Sayidati Al Jamila' to Be Staged in KSA on Dec. 6 Mandy Moore Joins Season 2 of "Dr. Death" Anthology Series Don't Miss These Movies at 44th Cairo Int'l Film Festival Today Amr Diab to Headline KSA's MDLBEAST Soundstorm 2022 Festival Arts & Culture Mai Omar Stuns in Latest Instagram Photos Arts & Culture "The Flash" to End with Season 9 Arts & Culture Ministry of Culture Organizes four day Children's Film Festival Arts & Culture Canadian PM wishes Muslims Eid-al-Adha News China Launches Largest Ever Aircraft Carrier Sports Former Al Zamalek Player Ibrahim Shika Passes away after Long Battle with Cancer Lifestyle Get to Know 2025 Eid Al Adha Prayer Times in Egypt News Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly Inaugurates Two Indian Companies Business Fear & Greed Index Plummets to Lowest Level Ever Recorded amid Global Trade War Arts & Culture Zahi Hawass: Claims of Columns Beneath the Pyramid of Khafre Are Lies News Flights suspended at Port Sudan Airport after Drone Attacks News Shell Unveils Cost-Cutting, LNG Growth Plan Videos & Features Video: Trending Lifestyle TikToker Valeria Márquez Shot Dead during Live Stream Technology 50-Year Soviet Spacecraft 'Kosmos 482' Crashes into Indian Ocean
