'Blake Lively Has the Stronger Case.' Lawyer Explains Potential Flaw in Justin Baldoni's Arguments

03/31/2025 12:15 PM

Justin Baldoni's lawyers have said Blake Lively's claims "will be swiftly debunked as discovery moves forward, easily disproved with actual, evidentiary proof"

• A new documentary called In Dispute: Lively vs. Baldoni analyzes the legal battle, with interviews from experts
• One lawyer featured in the film feels Blake Lively might have a "stronger case" so far
• Justin Baldoni's lawyer has called Lively's allegations "intentionally salacious" and they've sued her and others for defamation and extortion

One legal expert featured in a new ripped-from-the-headlines documentary thinks Blake Lively may have the "stronger case" against Justin Baldoni.

In Dispute: Lively vs. Baldoni, which airs Monday, March 31 at 8 p.m. ET on ID and streams on Max, breaks down the It Ends With Us stars' legal battle, incorporating interviews with reporters, an intimacy coordinator, a public relations professional and a legal analyst. Neither side's lawyers participated in the documentary.

Attorney Dina Doll says near the end of the documentary, "My professional opinion, Blake Lively has the stronger case. Because all of Justin Baldoni's arguments about fame and control don't really refute her claim of sexual harassment."

"Those allegations — the improvising of kissing, the describing his genitalia, talking about pornography — regardless of where your workplace is, those seem to be pretty strong basis for a claim of sexual harassment," adds Doll.

While talking about the versions of events laid forth in Lively's lawsuit and Baldoni's countersuit elsewhere in In Dispute, Doll says Baldoni's "argument isn't really that those items didn't happen; he just is saying that there's a different perspective, that they were really more consensual." She added, "Both sides absolutely wanna get their perspective out."

Related: Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Clarifies Why He Called Blake Lively a 'Victim': 'A Lot of People Are Victims Here'

When some of Lively's claims were made public in a December 2024 report from The New York Times, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman said in a statement that the allegations are "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media." Baldoni has since sued The Times for libel, and the newspaper stood by its coverage.

Lively, 37, has alleged sexual harassment occurred on the set of It Ends With Us, which was also directed and produced by Baldoni, 41. She claims that after making a complaint, Baldoni orchestrated a smear campaign to ruin her image as a form of retaliation, which he denies.

Related: Justin Baldoni Was Not 'Happy' About Blake Lively Being 'Negatively Criticized' Before Lawsuits, Says Lawyer

Baldoni fired back with a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, alleging extortion and defamation, while claiming that the A-list couple used their Hollywood influence to harm his career and commandeer his passion project. Her lawyers have called his lawsuit "baseless."

While responding to Lively's motion to dismiss Baldoni's lawsuit in March, Freedman said in a statement that "we will continue to hold Ms. Lively accountable for her actions of pure malice which include falsely accusing my clients of harassment and retaliation." The attorney also claimed, "Her fantastical claims will be swiftly debunked as discovery moves forward, easily disproved with actual, evidentiary proof."

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The case is set to go to trial in March 2026. Legal expert Gregory Doll, a lawyer and partner at Doll Amir & Eley in Los Angeles who is not representing either party, previously told PEOPLE, however, that a settlement is likely to happen before it reaches that point: "Ninety-two percent of all civil cases settle, so odds are overwhelmingly that the case will settle."

Still, the legal battle will likely grow in intensity before any settlement is reached, he added: "It's very nasty, and I think it's going to get nastier. ... It's going to be a very consuming, very difficult, very challenging time for the parties going ahead. I think they both got great lawyers, but they're going to pay a lot of money and it's going to be a lot of emotional turmoil."