Blake Lively hires former CIA official amid legal battle with Justin Baldoni

Hollywood actress Blake Lively has hired a former top CIA official amid her legal battle with the ‘It Ends With Us’ costar Justin Baldoni.

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The actress enlisted Nick Shapiro, a former CIA deputy chief of staff and senior advisor to former director John Brennan, as per US media outlets.

“The litigation team for Ms. Lively retained Mr. Shapiro to advise on the legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit occurring in the Southern District of New York,” said a member of Blake Lively’s legal team.

Nick Shapiro launched crisis PR firm 10th Avenue Consulting in 2015 after his tenure at the CIA.

According to his bio, the former CIA deputy chief of staff “helped lead the Obama Administration’s response to the H1N1 Pandemic, the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, the Gulf Oil Spill, the Boston Marathon Bombing, the Japan Earthquake, Tsunami and Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, as well as numerous cyber attacks, data breaches, wildfires, floods, and hurricanes.”

Meanwhile, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are set to take their dispute to the court on March 9, 2026.

The dispute between the ‘It Ends With Us’ costars spilled in public when the Hollywood actress filed a lawsuit in December last year, claiming that Baldoni sexually harassed her during the film’s production in 2023.

In response, the Hollywood actor-director sued Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million for civil extortion, defamation and other actions.

It is to be noted here that ‘It Ends With Us’ became a hit at the box office despite the controversy surrounding the film’s actors.

The Sony film earned $351 million at the box office globally off of a $25 million budget.