Why Blake Lively is suing Justin Boldoni: a scandal on the set of the film

The romantic drama "Everything will End with Us" was released in August 2024 and grossed over $350 million worldwide. A few months later, lead actress Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against director and co-star Justin Boldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and organizing a campaign to discredit her. On April 7, the actress' lawyers sent new documents to the court demanding that the defendants disclose the format of their participation in the upcoming trial. All the details are in the Izvestia article.

"Everything will end with us": the beginning of the scandal

The scandal is based on the Hollywood film "It Ends With Us", released on August 9, 2024. The film is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by American writer Colleen Hoover in 2016. The plot revolves around florist Lily Bloom, played by Blake Lively, and her husband, neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid, played by Justin Boldoni. At the same time, her first love Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklinar) returns to the heroine's life. The trailer for the film, edited to the song "My Tears Ricochet" by Taylor Swift, broke viewing records in the first 24 hours after publication.

The film was shot in Hoboken and Jersey City, New Jersey, starting in May 2023. Filming was suspended due to the double strike of the CAA and SAG-AFTRA in the summer of 2023 and resumed only in January 2024. The film addresses the topic of domestic violence, a topic that, according to some of the audience and critics, Lively ended up inappropriately avoiding at the promotional event, preferring to advertise her own hair care line.

The tension between Lively and Boldoni became noticeable long before the official charges were filed. At the premiere of the film in New York on August 6, 2024, Boldoni arrived separately — with his family — and did not participate in a joint photo shoot with the main cast.

While Lively posed with her colleagues, Boldoni's team was sent to the basement of the building, where they were placed in a small hall. The director also did not present the film in the main hall, although this is traditionally part of his duties: instead, Lively and Colleen Hoover presented the film. According to reports, Lively and Ryan Reynolds insisted that Boldoni not attend the premiere at all.

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Chronology of the legal war

In December 2024, Lively filed a complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights, accusing Boldoni of sexual harassment on set and organizing a coordinated campaign to discredit her. The actress claimed that the director hired a PR agency in order to damage her reputation in retaliation for the complaint.

According to the case file, Boldoni openly discussed his own sex life on the set, talked about his addiction to pornography and sought intimate scenes, which Lively did not agree to. The last straw was the moment when Wayfarer Studios executive director Jamie Heath showed her a video of his wife's birth without warning. In one of the court documents, Boldoni allegedly described his own actions as "social awkwardness and impulsive speech," explaining their neurodifference.

In January 2025, Boldoni filed a $400 million counterclaim against Lively, Reynolds, their press agents, and The New York Times. However, in June 2025, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed the claim. In addition, about 180 pieces of court materials were declassified. Among them is the testimony of Lively's former driver Kevin Alexander, who described in his testimony a 2023 trip from New York to New Jersey. According to him, Boldoni openly talked in the car about how he "forced women" into intimacy, even with their explicit refusal.

A new stage: What's left of the lawsuit

On April 2, 2026, the judge dismissed ten of Lively's thirteen claims, including the main accusation of sexual harassment. Boldoni's lawyer, Brian Friedman, called the remaining episodes "inconclusive," and the amendments to the lawsuit "a set of rumors from anonymous individuals." Lively's side, in turn, said the new materials "contain confirmation of Blake's concerns about harassment and retaliation."

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Lively's lawyers filed new documents on April 7, demanding that the defendants disclose their defense strategy: whether Boldoni and other key participants intend to personally speak at the trial or limit themselves to reading pre-recorded testimony. According to the actress' lawyers, the defendants' refusal to give a clear answer creates a strategic disparity for the plaintiff and does not allow for proper preparation of the process.

When will the court session be held

The trial is scheduled for May 18, 2026. Lively's lawyer Mike Gottlieb confirmed that the actress intends to appear in court in person. A previous attempt to resolve the dispute in a pre—trial manner — at a meeting on February 11, 2026 in the presence of a justice of the peace - ended in vain: the parties did not come close to an agreement.

The case, which began as a behind—the-scenes conflict on the set of a romantic drama, has turned into one of the most high-profile lawsuits in Hollywood history - involving Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds and tens of millions of dollars in lawsuits.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.