‘It Ends With Us' Actress Isabela Ferrer Claims Justin Baldoni Is Harassing Her Over Subpoena in Blake Lively Legal Battle
But a year after her film debut, Ferrer finds herself trapped in a bitter legal feud between Lively and the film's director, Justin Baldoni, both of whom have subpoenaed her.
More from Variety
Blake Lively's Lawyers Seek Sanctions Against Justin Baldoni's Attorney Over Pre-Trial 'Press Tour'
Blake Lively Subpoenas Her Online Critics - Is It Fact-Finding or Intimidation?
Blake Lively Suffers Blow in 'Smear Campaign' Claim as Judge Dismisses Case Against Justin Baldoni's Social Media Guru Jed Wallace
On Sunday, Ferrer's lawyer alleged that Baldoni is 'harassing' her and trying to use his financial leverage over her to control how she responds to Lively's subpoena — when what she really wants is not to be dragged further into the dispute.
Lively is suing Baldoni for sexual harassment and alleges that Baldoni launched a secret campaign to smear her reputation after she complained.
Her lawsuit includes an allegation that Baldoni added a scene to the film in which Young Lily loses her virginity. After the scene was filmed, she alleges that Baldoni approached the young actors and said, 'I know I'm not supposed to say this, but that was hot.'
In response, Baldoni's lawyers released text messages from Ferrer in which she called him a 'great director' and said he was 'wonderful to work with.' His lawyers have argued that as the feud developed with Lively during the subsequent promotion of the film, Ferrer felt compelled to shun him.
Lively's lawyers subpoenaed Ferrer in February, seeking any communications between her and the other parties in the case. That required Ferrer to hire a lawyer and to seek a guarantee that Baldoni's team, as her employer, would cover her legal bills.
That, in turn, led to a protracted dispute. Ferrer's lawyer, Sanford Michelman, claimed that Baldoni was seeking to condition the financial guarantee on retaining control over Ferrer's response to the subpoena, or at least control over her legal representation. According to Michelman, the producers' lawyer cited a fake case, which he believed to be an AI hallucination, in support of the argument that the producers had such leverage.
Michelman also alleged that Baldoni's team had contorted the facts surrounding Ferrer's involvement in the dispute.
While an agreement was being worked out, Baldoni's team asked if Michelman would accept service of a subpoena on her behalf. He refused.
Baldoni's lawyers want Ferrer to produce documents and messages. According to them, a process server has tried to catch her at addresses in Brooklyn and Sag Harbor, but has been unable to track her down.
Baldoni's lawyers are asking a judge to approve 'alternative service,' essentially forcing Michelman to accept service of the subpoena on Ferrer's behalf. Michelman is opposed, arguing they have failed to show that Ferrer is ducking the subpoena.
Ferrer's legal team says Baldoni's motion, as well as the dispute over the Lively subpoena, exhibits a 'broader pattern of conduct by Baldoni to bully Ms. Ferrer.'
'While Ms. Ferrer will faithfully comply with her legal obligations under any subpoena, summons or court order, she obviously will not be intimidated or extorted by any party to otherwise participate in the proceedings,' Michelman wrote.
As part of the new filing, Ferrer asks the court to 'deny the Motion in its entirety and impose appropriate sanctions against Baldoni.'
Baldoni's team declined Variety's request for comment.
The trial is scheduled for March.
Best of Variety
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025
What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Buzz Feed
44 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
Justin Baldoni Responds To Isabela Ferrer Allegations
You know Isabela Ferrer from her performance in last year's It Ends With Us. And you also know that It Ends With Us has been at the center of a very lengthy legal battle primarily between the film's lead, Blake Lively, and director and costar Justin Baldoni. Now, People reports that Isabela, who played the younger version of Blake's character in the film, recently filed a rebuttal in court responding to Justin's attempt to subpoena her regarding his and Blake's legal dispute. According to People, Justin's lawyers followed up the attempted subpoena of Isabella with a motion claiming she wasn't responding to the filing. This has now prompted Isabela to file a rebuttal. In the rebuttal, she alleged that Justin "engaged in bad faith tactics" and alleged his motion claiming that she hasn't responded to the subpoena was filed 'for improper purposes and with the aim of harassing' her. People later reported that, on Aug. 18, Justin's legal team filed a response to Isabela's claims, alleging that her "opposition is primarily an inappropriate attack upon Mr. Baldoni and his counsel relating to matters not before the Court and irrelevant." In response to a prior subpoena from Blake's legal team — which Isabela has since cooperated with — Justin's legal team is also asking the court to issue an order that both his and Blake's legal teams not use "any communication to, from or concerning Ms. Ferrer, or any testimony from her, in any manner in this action" to "satisfy Ms. Ferrer's apparent desire to avoid involvement in the litigation and trial." You can read more about Isabela's claims here, and Justin's response here. We'll let you know if there are any updates to this story.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Layoffs Hit ‘BioShock' Development Team Amid Delays; Rod Fergusson Named New Head of 2K Studio Cloud Chamber
Cloud Chamber, the 2K Games-owned studio behind 'BioShock 4,' is undergoing a round of layoffs amid delays for the upcoming game and a shakeup in leadership. 2K, a subsidiary of video game publishing giant Take-Two Interactive, has tapped Rod Fergusson as the new leader for the developer and its 'BioShock' franchise, Variety has confirmed. Most recently, Fergusson was general manager of the 'Diablo' franchise at Microsoft's Blizzard, where he launched 'Diablo IV.' More from Variety NBA, Take-Two Form New Media Company to 'Celebrate' Basketball, Extend Long-Standing Games Pact 2K Motion Capture Studio Workers File for Unionization 'Bioshock' Film Adaptation Still in the Works With Scaled Down Budget; It's a 'More Personal' Movie, Says Producer Roy Lee Fergusson takes over the studio following the ousting of Kelley Gilmore, which as Bloomberg's Jason Schreier reported earlier this month, came amid internal complaints regarding the narrative direction of the upcoming 'BioShock' game. As Gilmore was removed from the top posiiton at Cloud Chamber, 2K also moved the game's creative director, Hogarth de la Plante, into a publishing role. In an internal memo, which was provided to Variety by 2K on Tuesday, 2K Games president David Ismailer announced the pending layoffs to staffers: 'Work on the next BioShock game has been underway for several years. While we're excited about the foundational gameplay elements of the project, we've made the decision with studio leadership to rework certain aspects that are core to a BioShock game, and in doing so are reducing the size of the development team to focus on this work and give the game more time in development.' Representatives for 2K declined to comment on how many roles are being impacted in the layoffs. 'As Head of the BioShock Franchise, Rod will lead Cloud Chamber and oversee the development of the next BioShock game, as well as franchise extensions including our film partnership with Netflix,' Ismailer wrote. 'We will share more about Rod's onboarding and how these changes will take shape in the coming days and weeks. Rod and I worked together 10+ years ago and I am grateful he has chosen to return to lead our BioShock efforts.' The third and most recent 'BioShock' game, 'BioShock Infinite,' was released in 2013 and made by developer Irrational Games. 'BioShock 4' has been in the works at 2K's Cloud Chamber for more than a decade. Read the memo to staff from Ismailer in full below. Team – BioShock is woven deeply into the fabric of 2K. It's one of our most beloved franchises and respecting its legacy and meeting our fans' expectations is critical to its future success. Work on the next BioShock game has been underway for several years. While we're excited about the foundational gameplay elements of the project, we've made the decision with studio leadership to rework certain aspects that are core to a BioShock game, and in doing so are reducing the size of the development team to focus on this work and give the game more time in development. I know this is tough news for everyone. If your role is being affected, you'll hear from your manager or studio leadership today with details on severance, career services and support resources. There is no easy way to do this, but we hope to do whatever we can to support you through this. I want to thank each of you for your dedication and hard work. I also want to share an important studio leadership update. After an extensive search, I'm excited to announce Rod Fergusson will be leading Cloud Chamber as the new Head of the BioShock Franchise. Rod is an industry veteran with a proven history of critical and commercial success, including BioShock Infinite, Gears of War, and Diablo. Rod rejoins us from Blizzard, where he was GM of the Diablo franchise and launched Diablo IV – Blizzard's fastest-selling game ever. As Head of the BioShock Franchise, Rod will lead Cloud Chamber and oversee the development of the next BioShock game, as well as franchise extensions including our film partnership with Netflix. We will share more about Rod's onboarding and how these changes will take shape in the coming days and weeks. Rod and I worked together 10+ years ago and I am grateful he has chosen to return to lead our BioShock efforts. I recognize that today is a day of mixed emotions. We're excited to have Rod joining us, and are equally grateful to everyone at Cloud Chamber who has helped us get this far. These changes are rooted in 2K's firm confidence in BioShock as one of the most beloved franchises, and our commitment to deliver the best game in franchise history. David Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in August 2025 What's Coming to Netflix in August 2025
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Justin Baldoni Accused of ‘Harassing' Another Actress Amid Blake Lively Lawsuit
Justin Baldoni's legal troubles have escalated as he is facing fresh claims from another actress. Isabela Ferrer, who appeared in It Ends With Us, has alleged that Baldoni and his legal team are using court proceedings to intimidate her. Isabela Ferrer accuses Justin Baldoni of 'harassing' her Actress Isabela Ferrer, who played the younger Lily Bloom in It Ends With Us, has accused director Justin Baldoni of attempting to 'harass' her through the courts. Her claims come in connection with Baldoni's ongoing legal fight with Blake Lively, who sued him for sexual harassment in 2024. Ferrer first became involved when Lively's attorneys subpoenaed her in February 2025, asking for communications that could support the lawsuit. Soon after, Baldoni's lawyers served her with a separate subpoena and, on August 12, filed a motion stating she had ignored their requests. In response, Ferrer's legal team argued that Baldoni's filing was not a legitimate attempt to gather evidence. (via PEOPLE) The filing states, 'Baldoni made no effort to tailor the subpoena towards the production of new or different materials, demonstrating that the real aim of the Baldoni Subpoena, as well as the pending Motion, is to harass Ms. Ferrer.' Her attorneys further accused Baldoni's company, Wayfarer Studios, of failing to honor her acting contract, which required covering her legal expenses. The filing alleges, 'It Ends, LLC has not honored its obligations.' They said the studio offered to pay only if Ferrer 'confirms that she will 'surrender control.'' Ferrer's lawyers have asked the court not only to reject Baldoni's motion but also to impose sanctions on him. They noted that delayed negotiations about indemnification and repeated legal pressure appeared to be a strategy to create financial pressure. Meanwhile, the larger case continues to escalate. Lively has claimed Baldoni sexually harassed her during the filming of It Ends With Us and later tried to damage her reputation. Baldoni has rejected the allegations and filed counterclaims against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. However, his lawsuit was dismissed in June 2025. The post Justin Baldoni Accused of 'Harassing' Another Actress Amid Blake Lively Lawsuit appeared first on Mandatory. Solve the daily Crossword
