A lawyer who’s no stranger to celebrity lawsuits — having represented Johnny Depp during his high-profile defamation case against Amber Heard — has weighed in on the It Ends With Us legal drama, calling Justin Baldoni’s team’s tactics “bold” and “aggressive”.
Speaking to law media outlet Law&Crime, attorney Benjamin Chew — who rose to fame representing Johnny Depp alongside Camille Vasquez during the defamation case in 2022 — shared his thoughts on the escalating dispute, particularly the decision by Baldoni’s legal team to launch a website detailing the lawsuit’s entire timeline.
“I think it is very impressive. Usually, you would not do something like that before a hearing. … It’s a novel approach, a bold approach,” Chew said.
Baldoni’s website thelawsuitinfo.com has proven to be a focal point in the dispute. It features an amended complaint from Baldoni’s team, as well as a timeline of events — including text messages and emails — that Baldoni claims support his side of the story.
The material allegedly spans from January 2019 to January 2025 and aims to provide a glimpse into the behind-the-scenes drama surrounding the making of It Ends With Us.
As someone well-versed in high-profile cases, Chew acknowledged the move, but advised caution.
“I’m sure that they vetted it carefully. Certainly, posting a pleading doesn’t seem to me to be out of bounds. These are pleadings made in the public records. Whenever you’re getting into work product or advocacy pieces, then I think it’s getting closer to the line,” he remarked.
Chew also pointed out that there are echoes of the Depp v. Heard case in the ongoing feud between Lively and Baldoni — but with a key difference.
“In this case, I think both sides run the risk — more risk I think than in Depp v. Heard — of the jury not understanding why they should really care as much as I think the jurors may have in Depp and Heard,” he explained.
“A challenge that we had, and I think the other side had — but they really have it in this case — is to convince a jury of lay people why they should care about a dispute between two very powerful, successful, attractive actors. And I think that’s a challenge irrespective of the serious nature of the allegations.”
The ongoing legal saga between Lively and Baldoni has already seen a lot of public drama and the legal teams met in court for the first time this month, appearing before Judge Lewis Liman in a Manhattan federal court on Tuesday.
While neither Lively nor Baldoni were present in person, the hearing offered a glimpse into the combative back-and-forth between the two legal teams and Judge Lewis Liman took the opportunity to pull up both sides for their very public jabs.
“You’ve got a lot in front of the court that gives, I think, the public plenty to feast upon,” Liman said, emphasizing the need for both sides to avoid making statements that could sway the jury, as reported by Variety.
The judge made it clear any continued public commentary could even result in the trial date being moved up to avoid “litigating in the press”, although he acknowledged that discovery was still ongoing and such a move was unlikely.
The pair have filed respective countersuits since the film. Source: Cindy Ord and Jeff Spicer/ Getty Images
The legal feud dates back to December, when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his production company, and others. She alleged sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us, claiming Baldoni sexually harassed her while filming and launched a “smear campaign” when she spoke out.
In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit of his own, accusing Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.
Lead image: Araya Doheny and Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
