Baldoni Boosts Legal Team with High-Profile Lawyer Amid Lively Dispute

Justin Baldoni has brought on board another prominent lawyer to bolster his defense in his ongoing legal dispute with Blake Lively.

Court records secured by Us Weekly indicate that on Monday, September 15, a formal notice of appearance was submitted. This filing informed the court that attorney Alexandra Shapiro would be representing Baldoni, 41, and Wayfarer Studios. Shapiro herself submitted this notification.

Based in New York, Shapiro is a criminal defense lawyer known for representing notable figures such as Sean “Diddy” Combs and FTX creator Sam Bankman-Fried. Prior to establishing her own practice, Shapiro worked as a law clerk for the esteemed, late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Us sought a statement from Baldoni regarding these developments.

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The legal conflict between Baldoni and Lively commenced in December 2024. The 37-year-old actress alleged that her It Ends With Us costar and director engaged in sexual harassment, fostered an unwelcoming workplace, and conducted a campaign to discredit her. Baldoni strongly rejected these claims.

Baldoni later filed a countersuit against Lively, asserting that she tried to damage his reputation. Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed his legal action in June.

Although Lively secured a legal victory on that occasion, her original lawsuit against Baldoni is still active. Both parties are slated to proceed to trial in May 2026.

“The court’s ruling on the dismissal motion entirely fails to impact the reality that no harassment or defamation occurred, and it does not diminish our robust defense against Ms. Lively’s accusations,” Baldoni’s lawyer stated at the time. “The discovery process is moving forward, and we are certain we will triumph over these baseless allegations. Rather than amending the current claims, our clients intend to explore further legal avenues at their disposal.”

While Baldoni and his legal counsel commenced trial preparations, Lively underwent a deposition by Baldoni’s attorneys in New York City in July. Us had earlier revealed that Baldoni attended this deposition.

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“We are quite satisfied with the results of her deposition, and our focus now turns to taking depositions from Justin Baldoni and all codefendants very soon,” a representative for Lively previously communicated to Us. “Deposition content remains confidential for valid reasons — it constitutes evidence within a legal process and is governed by objections and rules of evidence. Juries are not simply given deposition transcripts to review independently; instead, they hear testimony presented at trial under the watchful eye of a judge.”

At the start of this month, information emerged about another individual making allegations against Baldoni. Based on court papers acquired by Us, the person, whose identity was withheld, accused Baldoni of verbal mistreatment and asserted that the actor was barred from set for most of the production period due to these incidents.

This accuser might potentially be called as a witness to testify against him in the forthcoming trial involving him and Lively.

Baldoni has not yet responded to these claims.