Helen D. Reavis Comments on Additional Witness Testimonies in Lively-Baldoni Lawsuit
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water without more articles on the Lively-Baldoni lawsuits, Fox News reached out to RPJ Partner Helen D. (Heidi) Reavis for expert commentary on the impact of witnesses supporting Blake Lively’s claims. To refresh, in December 2024, Lively, among other legal claims, alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the orchestration of a smear campaign against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, as well as the film’s producer, Jamey Heath. Lively initially filed the complaint with the California Civil Rights Department but later took the case to federal court. Baldoni countered with his own lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in January, alleging extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, and more.
Ms. Reavis was interviewed in light of the legal battle’s latest development. On February 18, Lively came forward with two female cast members willing to testify in the anticipated 2026 trial. Both women claim to have been on the receiving end of similar alleged behavior from Baldoni. As Ms. Reavis told Fox News, “As a preliminary matter, having the support of credible witnesses is extremely useful to Lively. In cases involving subjective experience, third-party witnesses can make or break the case.”
Asked whether the fact that these women did not file formal complaints at the time the harassment occurred would influence the value of their testimony as witnesses, Ms. Reavis responded, “It’s well known that most subjects of harassment and discrimination do not come forward out of fear of retaliation. Certainly, if they had come forward earlier about their own issues or complained about Baldoni’s treatment of Lively, that would have been helpful. However, not having done so is not fatal to their testimony.”
More information continues to emerge in these lawsuits, and it remains to be seen in which party’s favor the case will lean come trial in 2026. However, as Ms. Reavis told Fox News about the additional two witnesses supporting Lively’s claims, “At the very least, their testimony regarding Baldoni’s behavior would support a hostile work environment claim.” Furthermore, Ms. Reavis pointed out that the witnesses could broaden the scope of and the list of defendants in the case, as “[their] testimony raises questions about the extent of SONY’s awareness of harassment issues on the set, SONY’s responsibilities, and SONY’s potential liability.”
Read the full article here.