Justin Baldoni Files New Motion; “Ms. Lively Has Violated Rule 26”
Blake Lively Faces New Legal Firestorm: Justin Baldoni’s Team Files Motion to Compel Damages Disclosure
Hey everyone, welcome back to the Court of Random Opinion. I’m Lauren Knight, and today we’ve got some serious movement in the never-ending Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni legal circus. This time, it’s Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties who just filed a brand new motion to compel Blake Lively to hand over critical information related to her alleged damages—and it’s getting spicy.
Let’s break it all down.
The Motion: What Do They Want?
Justin Baldoni’s legal team is demanding that Blake Lively:
Provide a Computation of Damages
- — Within 7 days, Lively must give a detailed breakdown of how much money she believes she’s owed, the theory supporting those figures, and all the documents she’s relying on to justify those claims. This is required under Rule 26 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Answer the Damages Interrogatory
- — This is essentially a formal question asking for the exact breakdown of each category of damages she’s claiming. She needs to provide a verified response.
Produce Financial Documents
- — They want documents that show her net worth, including financial statements, assets, liabilities, and anything else that would support her damage claims.
What Is Rule 26 and Why Does It Matter?
Under Rule 26(a)(1)(A)(iii), a party in a lawsuit must, without waiting for a request, disclose “a computation of each category of damages claimed” and make the documents supporting those claims available. Basically, you can’t just say, “They hurt me, give me millions.” You have to show how you arrived at that number.
Lively’s team has yet to do this. Her excuse? An expert will calculate her damages—eventually. But Baldoni’s team is saying that’s not good enough. Even if an expert is needed later, she still has to provide the best estimate she can with the information she currently has.
Why This Matters So Much
According to the motion, Blake’s amended complaint says she’s suffered “substantial losses in earnings, equity, and other economic losses,” plus general, actual, and consequential damages. She’s also alleging that her companies—Blake Brown, Betty Buzz, and Betty Booze—have been harmed.
So naturally, the defense is asking, “Show us the receipts.” How can a court award damages if Lively hasn’t even quantified them or produced documents showing actual harm?
Baldoni’s team points out that Lively’s side hasn’t produced anything responsive to Document Request #56, which specifically asks for materials tied to her damage claims. Nor has she responded to Document Request #254, which asks for documents showing her net worth from 2022 to the present.
Lively’s Response? Delay, Deny, Deflect
Lively claims the net worth request is irrelevant. But the court has already ruled that financials are relevant when someone is claiming reputational or economic harm due to alleged tortious conduct—like defamation, which is part of her lawsuit.
Plus, the court previously required the Wayfarer parties to turn over their net worth documents, so it only seems fair that Lively should do the same.
Timing Is Everything
This motion comes at a tense time. The deadline for substantial completion of document discovery has already passed. The deadline for expert discovery is October 15. Yet Lively’s team is still refusing to provide this essential information.
They’re asking the court to compel her to produce these documents and responses within seven days. That’s a tight turnaround, and if the judge agrees, we could finally get some insight into what Lively is actually claiming in terms of financial damage.
The Bigger Picture
Let’s not forget that Blake Lively has been highly vocal about how this lawsuit has affected her brand, her businesses, and her emotional well-being. But without a clear breakdown of actual financial loss, all of that remains speculative.
This motion might also help explain why she’s been stalling her deposition—shifting blame, saying Baldoni’s team is being unfair, requesting special accommodations, even dragging in irrelevant celebrity drama (hello, Vin Diesel).
But now the spotlight is back on her. If she wants to claim she’s suffered, she has to prove it.
Is This Just Legal Strategy or A Sign of Weakness?
There’s a reason Baldoni’s team is filing this now. They’re likely betting that Lively has no strong documentation of harm—because if she did, why wouldn’t she have handed it over already? And if she can’t produce convincing evidence, her credibility takes a hit.
And let’s not ignore the PR war happening alongside the legal one. While Lively’s team was running puff pieces in People magazine about how much she loves her Betty Buzz soda, Baldoni’s camp is sticking to facts, procedures, and court rules.
One side is playing defense with emotion. The other is playing offense with legal precedent.
What Happens Next?
If the court grants this motion, Lively will be legally compelled to:
Disclose a clear damages computation.
Explain the theory behind it.
Hand over financial documents—including those showing her net worth.
If she doesn’t comply, she could face sanctions or even risk dismissal of parts of her claim. It’s that serious.
Final Thoughts
This is no longer just a celebrity catfight—it’s a matter of legal accountability. If Blake Lively wants to stand on her soapbox about being a victim of smear campaigns and industry bullying, she better be prepared to back that up with hard numbers and documents.
And for all of us watching from the sidelines? This next week could be game-changing.
Stay tuned. Because the court of public opinion isn’t the only court Blake Lively has to answer to.