As the ‘It Ends With Us’ lawsuit intensifies, Blake Lively hires Epstein victims’ lawyer Sigrid McCawley, raising fresh questions about power, consent, and alleged traps on set.
WEBDESK – Act Global Media – January 1, 2026
The legal fight surrounding It Ends With Us has taken a darker and more unsettling turn as Blake Lively brings in one of the most prominent victim rights attorneys in the United States.
Lively has hired Sigrid McCawley, the high-profile lawyer best known for representing survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, as her case against director and co-star Justin Baldoni moves closer to trial. According to People, McCawley will oversee public and media communications tied to the lawsuit, an increasingly crucial front as new allegations continue to surface.
“At its core, this case is about a woman who was subjected to a hostile work environment and is being attacked for standing up for herself and other female co-workers,” McCawley said, calling it a privilege to join Lively’s legal team.
Lively filed her lawsuit in December 2024 after months of reported tension during the filming of the Colleen Hoover adaptation. She accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and lost wages. Baldoni has denied the claims and previously countersued Lively, her publicist, and husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million, a case dismissed in late 2025.
One of the most controversial elements of the dispute remains Baldoni’s claim that Lively refused to use a body double during intimate scenes, allegedly creating what he described as a trap. The decision has fueled speculation about whether it was a creative choice, a boundary assertion or a calculated legal safeguard.
Lively’s team has not directly addressed the body double allegation, but the addition of McCawley, whose career centers on survivor advocacy, suggests a deliberate shift in strategy as the case heads toward a courtroom reckoning.
With a key hearing scheduled for Jan. 22 and a trial set for May 2026, the dispute has evolved from behind the scenes friction into one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal battles.
