Blake Lively Says She Lost $161 Million After a Hollywood “Smear Campaign” – And Newly Unsealed Court Filings Reveal Just How Deep The Damage Allegedly Goes

Blake Lively’s lawsuit in connection with the production and release of It Ends With Us continued to heat up this week as documents unsealed in several court filings detailed the actor’s claims of more than $161 million in damages stemming from what Lively has described as a coordinated retaliation and smear campaign against her. The documents, which emerged as part of separate lawsuits filed in both New York and California and have been reported on by several outlets, provide the most comprehensive picture yet of the financial and reputational damages that Lively has sought to attribute to her allegations of sexual harassment on the set of the film.

Filings first disclosed in mid-2025 and unsealed this week show that, according to Lively’s attorneys, the actress suffered $56.2 million in lost and expected income from acting, producing, endorsements and paid appearances. Lively’s legal team also states that her beauty brand, Blake Brown, was deprived of $49 million in lost profits and that her liquor brand, Betty Buzz/Betty Booze, suffered an additional $22 million in lost profits. They estimate damages to Lively’s reputation at approximately $34 million, which they attribute to a rough estimate of 65 million negative online impressions which they allege were part of the purported campaign. While these damages estimates are subject to change and will be further refined as experts are deposed and make further arguments at trial, they make up the core of a complaint that also demands at least triple the amount in punitive damages.

Documents state that Lively alleges Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer Studios executive Steve Sarowitz, and various publicity figures worked in concert to retaliate and defame her after she reported alleged misconduct during the 2024 production of the film. Her suit, which she initially filed on Dec. 31, 2024, states that the negative attention she received in the wake of her claims was not organic but “sophisticated, engineered and funded with the specific intent of quelling and squelching her complaints.” Baldoni has categorically denied the accusations and has described Lively’s suit as false and malicious. In a filing earlier this year, Baldoni filed a $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which he provisionally had dismissed in June and then formally dismissed in the fall after opting against amending his filing, allowing him to appeal. Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement at the time that his team would “continue to fight for the full truth.” That lawsuit was dismissed “without prejudice,” which means that Baldoni could refile at a later time, but he has not yet done so.

Discovery in Lively’s complaint has also been noted for the extensive list of names of other individuals and companies identified as potentially having information regarding the matter. The discovery list, which was circulated widely, has included the names of Taylor Swift, Emily Blunt, Hugh Jackman, Gigi Hadid, the group HAIM, and other past co-stars. Representatives familiar with the situation have noted to multiple outlets that these individuals are named not because they are expected to take the stand or be deposed, but because of their broad relevance to the case as part of the normal discovery process. Many, including Hoover and past co-stars Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer have already been deposed, while efforts to depose Swift were retracted earlier this year.

In reporting, the filings have been notable for another reason, which is that they provide a clear sense that both Lively’s team and Baldoni’s are both digging in and set for a major battle in court next spring. Lively’s team is building a case not only that she was harassed and retaliated against, but that that campaign led to actual, quantifiable, and massive commercial damages. Baldoni’s team, for its part, is arguing that Lively has caused them reputational damages in return, and is fighting the claims on multiple fronts. With a trial date set for March of 2026, both filings have only increased the scrutiny of what is becoming one of the most highly-anticipated legal fights in recent years and may have major consequences on both for power dynamics on sets and the monetization of public narratives in the internet age.