Since the end of 2024, Blake Lively has been tied up in a legal situation linked to her film It Ends with Us. Lively and Justin Baldoni – who directed and co-starred in the film – have specifically filed lawsuits against each other, with both stars laying out pointed allegations. That legal situation still remains in flux months after it began and, at this point, it’s unclear as to when or how it might be resolved. In the meantime, Lively is now involved in another suit that isn’t tied to the aforementioned drama film.
What Does Blake Lively’s Latest Lawsuit Entail?
When it comes to this latest situation, Blake Lively isn’t at the receiving end of any legal action. The 37-year-old star along with Family Hive LLC – which owns Lively’s Blake Brown brand – have filed suit against a fellow businesswoman named Kimberlie Hamner. Per Daily Mail.com, 27-year-old Hamner operates out of Utah and currently owns the trademark for Beauty by Blake after having filed for it back in September 2024 for the sake of her own cosmetic oil line. However, Lively and co. take issue with the trademark holding.
Family Hive LLC, which is registered in Delaware, is the owner of three Blake Brown trademarks, which pertain to the brand’s name, beehive shaped-logo and an alternate version of the logo, which features the name. All three of those were filed in 2024 but are still pending, despite the fact that Lively’s products dropped in Target this year. Family Hive now opposes Kimberlie Hamner’s Beauty by Blake trademark because it argues that the name is too similar to Lively’s Blake Brown.
Via legal documents obtained by Daily Mail, FH LLC contends that Hamner’s brand name could cause “damage” to Blake Lively’s own company name. Leo M. Loughlin, an attorney for the conglomerate, says Hamner has “no connection whatsoever with Family Hive and no permission or license” was provided by his clients. As for why the trademark is so damaging in his team’s eyes, Loughlin said the following:
[Beauty by Blake] is likely to be confused, to be deceived, and to assume erroneously that Applicant’s goods are those of Family Hive or that Applicant is in some way connected with or sponsored by or affiliated with Family Hive.
At this time, both Blake Brown and Beauty by Blake offer cosmetic-based oils, while the former also produces shampoo, hair masks, leave-in conditioner and more. Kimberlie Hamner has yet to respond to the suit as of this writing, and mid-July is her deadline to do so.
What’s Going On With The It Ends With Us Situation?
In December 2024, Blake Lively filed a legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, his production company (Wayfarer Studios) and more. Lively accused Baldoni of committing sexual harassment on the set of It Ends with Us and accused him of and his team of launching a smear campaign against her. Baldoni vehemently denied the accusations and filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times, which broke the details of Lively’s initial claims and filing.
The Age of Adaline actress eventually filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni on the grounds of the same allegations she leveled against him in her complaint. Baldoni eventually filed a suit of his own as well, accusing his co-star, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and more for alleged defamation, extortion. As part of his suit, Baldoni is reportedly seeking $400 million in damages. Since the legal battle began, various reports have been swirling around both stars, with some making claims about the atmosphere on the IEWU set and others making assertions about how Lively and Baldoni are handling their legal skirmish.
Most recently, Blake Lively hit a setback in the case, as a judge tossed out her claims of emotional distress. Ahead of that, Lively and her team attempted to drop those allegations from her suit so that the claim could be refiled on a separate occasion. The judge reportedly made the decision after Justin Baldoni’s team sought to have Lively and co. release medical records to back up their assertions.
The Beauty by Blake/Blake Brown trademark situation doesn’t appear to be as contentious as the It Ends with Us drama at this point. For now, Lively, Family Hive LLC and co. (and the general public) will have to wait and see how Kimberlie Hamner chooses to respond to the suit.
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