Blake Lively’s publicist tries to exit lawsuit, but Justin Baldoni says no

Longtime publicist of Blake Lively, Leslie Sloane, wants to step away from the legal fight with Justin Baldoni, but he is refusing to let her go.

The dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni continues to grow, with both sides making serious claims.

According to international media outlets, a judge recently called the case a “feud between PR firms.” Justin Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, argue that Leslie Sloane and Vision PR played a key role in damaging their reputation.

They claim that Blake Lively, along with Ryan Reynolds and The New York Times, worked together to shift blame onto them.

According to Baldoni’s legal team, Sloane spread false information to reporters, including Megan Twohey from The New York Times.

Read More: Blake Lively seeks strict privacy order in Justin Baldoni lawsuit

Blake Lively has also taken legal action against Justin Baldoni. In December, she accused him of harassment and claimed that other women had also suffered from his behavior. Her case is set to go to trial in March 2026.

Meanwhile, Justin Baldoni sued Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and others in January for defamation, demanding $400 million.

In February, Baldoni also added The New York Times to the lawsuit. Both Sloane and the newspaper have since requested to be removed from the case.

Blake Lively believes that Justin Baldoni’s PR team tried to harm her reputation before the release of It Ends With Us in August 2024.

She says their goal was to damage her image and impact the launch of her Blake Brown Beauty brand.

However, Justin Baldoni’s team denies these accusations, saying they never acted because “the internet was doing the work for us.”

A recent court hearing took place, but neither Blake nor Baldoni attended. However, on the same day, Blake Lively appeared at SXSW for the premiere of Another Simple Favor, avoiding any mention of the legal battle.