Context:

Blake Lively is set to testify in the lawsuit involving Justin Baldoni, as confirmed by her lawyer Mike Gottlieb, who emphasized the importance of her testimony in the trial. The case revolves around alleged misconduct and retaliation against Lively after she raised concerns about sexual harassment on set. There is uncertainty about the involvement of her husband, Ryan Reynolds, as a witness, and the relevance of potential subpoenas for other celebrities like Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman. Justin Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, countered by accusing Lively of exploiting her fame and connections to manipulate the situation, while suggesting further revelations of misconduct involving Reynolds. The legal battle includes allegations of corporate mismanagement related to Disney and Ryan Reynolds, with questions about the relevance of these claims to the core issues of the lawsuit.

Dive Deeper:

• Blake Lively's lawyer, Mike Gottlieb, announced that she will testify in the lawsuit concerning sexual harassment allegations on the set of 'It Ends with Us,' highlighting the trial as the appropriate platform for her story.

• The legal case involves claims of misconduct and a retaliation campaign against Lively, who raised concerns about inappropriate behavior, with Gottlieb expressing hope that the trial will focus on these core issues.

• There is ambiguity regarding whether Ryan Reynolds, Lively's husband, will serve as a fact witness, while speculation surrounds subpoenas potentially targeting celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman.

• Gottlieb criticized the potential subpoenas of celebrities, questioning their relevance to the case and warning against using high-profile figures to generate media attention, a tactic not tolerated by federal courts.

• Justin Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, accused Lively of manipulating the situation using her celebrity status and friends, while alleging that Reynolds might have engaged in misconduct involving Disney's financial resources.

• Freedman suggested that ongoing investigations might reveal further misconduct, with implications for corporate accountability and shareholder interests, though these claims' direct relevance to the sexual harassment allegations remains unclear.

• The case has attracted media attention due to the involvement of high-profile individuals, with questions lingering about the motivations behind certain legal strategies and their impact on the central issues at hand.

• Blake Lively‘s lawyer Mike Gottlieb is giving his first major interview, and in it, he’s revealing if she will testify in the It Ends with Us legal case, if Ryan Reynolds will, if her famous friends could be subpoenaed, and more.

• So, will Blake testify? The answer is yes. He shared with People, “The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here [with Lively]. So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course she’s going to testify.”

• Gottlieb continued, “There are individuals that were witnesses to or experienced misconduct that is relevant to Ms. Lively‘s claims. We expect their testimony, particularly about what took place on set, will come out through live witness testimony.”

• Keep reading to find out more…

• He added, “We think there have been a lot of distractions put up to deflect attention from the retaliation campaign that was launched against her. And we expect and hope that in discovery we’ll have an opportunity to really focus on what we believe to be the core part of the case, which is that this retaliation campaign was launched against Ms. Lively for her having raised concerns about sexual harassment.”

• Will Ryan Reynolds, Blake‘s husband, end up testifying? That’s unclear.

• But he “may or may not be a fact witness.”

• And about the claims that Justin Baldoni‘s team could subpoena major celebs like Taylor Swift and Hugh Jackman, Gottlieb responded, “It’s completely unclear what claims or defenses in the case any of these celebrities… have any relevance to at all. This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on the set. It’s not a case about how songs were chosen for the movie. It’s not a case about fictional Marvel characters in Deadpool movies.”

• “You have to ask the question, then, why are these people being subpoenaed?” he added. “Do they have any actual relevance to the case at hand? You can’t just go around subpoenaing people because they’re famous and you think it will generate a bunch of headlines. And the federal courts don’t tolerate that kind of behavior.”

• Justin Baldoni‘s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, responded to all of this.

• Freedman said, “Although obviously uncomfortable for the Lively parties, the truth is not a distraction. The truth has been clearly shown through unedited receipts, documents and real life footage. More to come. Blake was the one who brought her high-profile friends into this situation without concern for their own personal or public backlash. As the truth shows, she used her Dragons to manipulate Justin at every turn.”

• He added, “Ryan’s involvement is very well documented and we continue to discover more intentional misconduct. Was Disney actually complicit in Ryan using shareholder revenues to further a personal grudge? I would be surprised to learn that this type of corporate waste would not lead to much more exposure for those that have been complicit in affecting shareholder revenue.”

• Taylor‘s name seems to be mentioned in an alleged text released by Justin Baldoni in one of his lawsuits, though it has never been confirmed that she’s definitely the subject of that particular message.