Justin Baldoni is bringing a heavyweight onto his legal squad. According to court records acquired by People on September 18, the director of It Ends With Us has recruited renowned criminal defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro to represent him in his ongoing legal tussle with Blake Lively over the 2024 film.
Shapiro, who played a pivotal role in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ defense team during his sex trafficking trial earlier this year and also had the honor of serving as one of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s inaugural clerks at the Supreme Court, officially announced her involvement on Baldoni’s legal team in a notice of appearance filed last week, as reported by the outlet.
While Baldoni, the former star of Jane the Virgin, saw his $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds—wherein he accused the couple of defamation—dismissed by a New York court in June, the legal saga is far from reaching its conclusion.
Earlier this month, court documents obtained by NBC News revealed that Lively’s legal team contends Baldoni should foot her legal bills as the “prevailing defendant” in the case. They further asserted that she is “entitled to compensation for all harm caused to her” by Baldoni and his associates, including his production company Wayfarer Studios and his lawyer Bryan Freedman.
“The Wayfarer Parties—under the guidance of their lead attorney, Mr. Freedman—pursued and upheld claims that lacked factual or legal foundation,” Lively’s attorneys wrote in the filing, “but were instead part of a calculated scheme to tarnish Ms. Lively’s reputation and inflict harm on her and her husband by initiating legal action against them.”
The Gossip Girl alum’s legal team also requested that the motion be greenlit “prior to, and separate from” her impending trial against Baldoni, which stems from the sexual harassment lawsuit she filed against him in December. That case is set to go before a jury in March 2026, with Baldoni vehemently denying all allegations.
