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Attorneys for Justin Baldoni have argued in new filings that an insurer he is suing over legal fees involving Blake Lively was obligated to compensate him.
The actor and director’s lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court concerns the 2024 movie “It Ends With Us.”
He is suing insurers QBE Insurance Corp. and New York Marine and General Insurance Co. for refusing to cover legal costs tied to Lively’s suit and his countersuit.
Arguing for a motion for summary adjudication, Baldoni’s attorneys noted in filings: “The Lively court held that Ms. Lively was never an employee of the insureds — a holding to which QBE is bound and that is fatal to QBE’s sole defense to coverage.”
They asserted Lively was an actor, executive producer and entrepreneur with independent commercial and creative ties to the movie rather than an employee.
Baldoni’s lawyers added: “And her allegations suggest more than some animosity between the parties related to the film, but animosities and attacks wholly unrelated to the film.”
His legal team wants Judge James I. Montgomery to decide QBE had an obligation to defend Baldoni.
A hearing is set Nov. 10.
QBE attorneys previously argued in documents that Lively was an employee.
QBE’s lawyers stated, “Every allegation in that (Lively) action — whether labeled sexual harassment, retaliation, defamation or false light — arose directly from Blake Lively’s employment as the lead actress on the film ‘It Ends With Us.’”
They added that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios LLC “deliberately emphasize the retaliation and defamation claims to divert the court’s attention from the fact that the underlying action arises out of and is fundamentally rooted in an employment setting.”
Filed in July 2025, the lawsuit by Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios claims the insurers breached a contract to defend against actions such as Lively’s. In New York, Lively alleged Baldoni and associates maligned her after she reported on-set sexual harassment.
Baldoni, 42, filed a $400 million countersuit claiming her accusations were untrue and damaged his career and reputation. A judge dismissed it last November, and the pair settled her lawsuit in May.