The legal battle between former It Ends with Us collaborators Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has been making headlines for months now. While the stars themselves and their respective lawyers have released statements on the matter here and there, those in their inner circles have remained mostly mum on it. However, Lively’s sister, Robyn, and brother-in-law, Bart Johnson, recently alluded to her legal woes. That conversation specifically involved them referencing the challenge of working through such a situation.
Robyn Lively, 53, and Bart Johnson, 54, recently attended the Wango Tango concert series in California. During the event, they caught up with People, during which they were asked about the speech Blake gave when she was honored at the Time100 Gala. While the pair didn’t say too much on the address, Robyn did express pride over her younger sibling’s sentiments:
[I'm] very proud. Just so you know, very proud.
Weeks ago, Blake Lively, 37, was honored as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. She attended the gala with husband Ryan Reynolds, with whom she shared words before getting up on stage to speak. Although she didn’t specifically mention her legal matters amid the speech, she did talk about “the feeling of being a woman who has a voice today.” Lively also revealed that her mother survived an attack on her life by a “work acquaintance” years ago. While discussing his sister-in-law, Bart Johnson added:
That's a tough thing to navigate, so we're proud.
Legal matters can be challenging to work through regardless of who you are, but the High School Musical alum’s sentiments refer to the difficulties of wading through such proceedings as a public figure. Not only is a star having to contend with various developments, but those updates are also splashed across headlines. Additionally, a situation like this can also have an impact on a person’s family.
The It Ends with Us skirmish began in December 2024, at which point Blake Lively filed a complaint against Justin Baldoni, who directed and starred alongside her in the aforementioned movie. Lively accused Baldoni of committing sexual harassment on set and for allegedly launching a smear campaign against her. For those alleged offenses, she eventually filed suit against the actor/director and his Wayfarer Studios company. Baldoni has since countersued Lively, Ryan Reynolds and others for $400 million over alleged defamation, extortion and more.
While the Lively family has mostly refrained from commenting on the suits publicly, ahead of the filings, Robyn did respond positively to a fan who complimented Blake under a birthday tribute. In August 2024, amid rumors of a feud between Blake and Justin Baldoni, Bart Johnson defended his sister-in-law in his own birthday message to her.
At the moment, the legal battle remains in flux and, in recent days, Blake Lively’s team requested financial records from Justin Baldoni’s camp. Lively and her lawyers want Baldoni and co. to prove that they suffered $400 million in damages. How this matter will wrap up remains uncertain but, amid all of that, it sounds like Lively has the support of her sister and brother-in-law.
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