u/Mysterio623

I'm going to be brief here again. It's the only way I'd be able to get this post out on time. I'm back to editing my fanfiction—I need to get my brain in the right place to properly edit the couple of chapters I already have written. But in the meantime, I wanted to share something I stumbled upon months ago that may interest you.

⟡

And it's this: we were right. 

WME was who made Blake Lively as Lily happen. And we see fragments of what happened play out in deposition excerpts we have.

Step 1: Ange/Sony initially wanted a different actress repped by WME to play Lily. Ange calls Zavala to inquire about said actress she had in mind.

https://preview.redd.it/yivb2nuvvc2h1.png?width=1786&format=png&auto=webp&s=a15c58465fa38973275f1a9fe47bfc396ee3211b

 

Step 2: Some things happen in between to make Zavala and WME know this is the project they need to get for Blake. No screenshot for this yet. We just have to use our imagination.

 

Reminder that Zavala is both Blake and Ryan's agent.

https://preview.redd.it/rzao3uuxvc2h1.png?width=1916&format=png&auto=webp&s=44485ba2c63bfc464d40d7b72058404c4658a19b

 

Step 3: Zavala brings the project to the team.

https://preview.redd.it/xsztubztvc2h1.png?width=1904&format=png&auto=webp&s=4ee16a5beee4c16436079dc94f4c08bc9acf588f

 

Why? Because they needed something for Blake. He doesn't say it exactly like this in the excerpt, but rather through different answers to other questions.

https://preview.redd.it/2d2stv12wc2h1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=49a135df9dba36c3e704036f9e1c7ca16331abb7

Again, peep the last line I underlined. IEWU was an opportunity they have been looking out for Blake to have since The Town. Peep Warren saying "unique opportunity ... due to its commercial success".

So, the book's TikTok success was what made all of them scramble to get her the role. Meanwhile, Blake will lie later about this, and even tell Justin she had no idea how huge it was until later when her nanny clued her in [see timeline screenshot below].

They stack lies on lies.

⟡

Let's continue to what Zavala also said after.

https://preview.redd.it/d7lo03sawc2h1.png?width=1922&format=png&auto=webp&s=9a740636e9ad89178d09c116b9d024ee2ed9eca9

Again, peep the last line. Ain't that nice?

 

Let's put it all together, shall we. The team had been on the hunt for a commercial success project for Blake. You know, her next elevation. Then Ange calls Warren Zavala to ask about another actress she was considering for Lily. And Warren, who reps both Blake and Ryan — who had both been looking for a hit project for Blake — decides somehow that no, rather than give the opportunity to the initial actress being inquired about, he needs to bring it to Blake, Ryan, and the rest of the team. Because, I guess they decided that the other actress was not the right fit; as such, Blake should rather try for the role.

But of course, she wouldn't try for the role. We know she didn't. Instead, Justin had to fly to her house and chat with her for three hours.

https://preview.redd.it/fpnt2g9qwc2h1.png?width=2012&format=png&auto=webp&s=aa9eab589ad3c7fa10d29f68a77a7eec0d072cd2

Coincidentally, WME had recently signed on Justin and Wayfarer Studios. 

 

And that’s what I have right now. 

⟡

Oh, and I forgot to add this gem from Justin Grey Stone (Blake's former manager) in response to any concerns he, Blake, and the team had regarding Justin's inexperience when they first learned about the project and were trying to determine if Blake should pursue it. People of the internet, he says the book was read — and again, someone is lying — and that Leslie had a marketing plan drafted and attached.

https://preview.redd.it/ovxfchqt8d2h1.png?width=1922&format=png&auto=webp&s=001b374c8cfb5e9a32a46955862922b6e886c383

This was what came before:

https://preview.redd.it/1g64y8kv8d2h1.png?width=1870&format=png&auto=webp&s=95449c8ef1614b41f0baec35186890644da8b243

https://preview.redd.it/zat98mbw8d2h1.png?width=1880&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c04f737658913e217ac7cdb4e8693302da96788

There was an email from Leslie Sloane with marketing guidelines after the book was read, before they decided to pursue getting the role for Blake.

Heads up: I'm going to be somewhat cryptic in this post, and please note that this is my opinion. It's simply my opinion and nothing else.

Over the last year, I've attempted my best to explain to others my thoughts about Ryan Reynolds' wealth. I must say Industry's storyline has been the easiest way for me to get my point across more comprehensively. It bypasses the jargon and the unsexiness of finance that might dog my posts if I tried writing long prose about it.

So, I'm going to share this 8 mins clip I edited and recommend you guys watch HBO's Industry, in particular the last four episodes: "Eyes Without a Face," "Dear Henry," "Points of Emphasis," "Both, And."

 

https://reddit.com/link/1ti0zpm/video/nvdvft27k52h1/player

The thing is nothing!

 

Once you look a little closer, everything falls into place. The above short explains things a little but you need to watch the actual four+ episodes to get my full point. It elucidates everything clearly.

⟡

I've made no efforts to hide that I just don't think Ryan is liquid, and his reaction to the countersuit told me everything I needed to know.

No one financially secure would age that rapidly in that short a time, just because of a $400M countersuit. Joking, of course. But he literally resurfaced months later to do a pap walk with Blake the minute the lawsuit was dismissed. To make it worse, Blake cares too much about money. She shouts brand names at every turn. Initially, it was easy to chalk up to nouveau riche behavior. But her constant shouting about Sarowitz’s $100M didn't make sense and honestly extremely disappointed me; like ma'am, you claim to be rich. Can you at least know the value of money?

The final clincher, of course, was when the Maximum Effort boys came crazying at me after an innocuous statement about Ryan's net worth vs. his liquidity. The reaction was so over the top, it triggered all my thinking abilities. For, any actual wealthy person would not feel offended at being assumed that having $100-250M in liquid cash would be ill-advised. In what financial sense does that even make sense, to just have such money laying around, not have the money working for you? Make it make sense. The only conclusion is: only broke people care about exuding such unnecessary illusion.

⟡

 

To be very clear: Industry is dramatized, fictionalized storytelling, but Industry is to finance as The Pitt is to emergency rooms. It tells the stark truth, but unlike The Pitt, it leans into all the vices that go with finance and more. It drums up the drama.

So, I am not saying what's depicted is exactly what I'm insinuating; nor am I in any way shape and form insinuating the big R (that has to be loudly said). I'm saying Industry depicts a storyline with somewhat similar frameworks of my point about Ryan—his money, why he keeps buying new companies and clubs and announcing new investments like he's magically the only person in Hollywood with a front office. Why he recently purchased the sailing club. But you, my dear, would have to watch the show yourself and draw your own conclusion.

The truth about Ryan's money also explains his proximity to power. And New Yorkers, especially the elites have always known. I think this is what is being whispered about and made to sound quite seedy. Which it is not. He's not the first, nor would he be the last—he's just another cog in the capitalism wheel. And this ends my cryptic post.

https://preview.redd.it/1py4g8ckv52h1.png?width=1600&format=png&auto=webp&s=8671ccdf93aeab45788461580787b2b86f690ecf

 

Someone shared this 7 hours ago but it got deleted minutes after it was published by the person who published it, around the same time I got pushed out of Reddit again, and had to sign in. Probably a coincidence, but did I find the video really interesting when I saw it this morning and wanted to reshare.

⟡⧜+

And here's my comments from that deleted post: Ryan Reynolds on the today show with Willie Geist on April 19: https://www.reddit.com/r/ItEndsWithLawsuits/comments/1tcxekd/ryan_reynolds_on_the_today_show_with_willie_geist/

How does he look that weird, that old, that off, all at the same time? Yoh! Is it the plastic surgery? Is it the premature aging from the stress of carrying the weight of it all? Is it an unmasking of the absolute hate and rage he embodies?

It's drastic and too much. I know I make fun of him cause I'm petty like that, but I actually didn't realize it was this bad. I had only seen the images shared around, often photoshopped.

There is also something to be said that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds created this crisis for themselves, one that has in fact ruined them and defined them, in a way where yes, their marriage is on the line. They did this to themselves, and for no bloody reason. Therapy would have been a lot cheaper and saner.

⟡⧜+

In the seven hours since then, I now think his face provably looks weird because he had just had work done, it had not settled and his face was still puffy. Or, it's still all the anger and rage inside him coming to the surface. Potato, potato.

Hi Ryan.

Megyn Kelly had Mark Geragos and another guest on her show today. Mark says Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb settled the lawsuit primarily to protect themselves from Blake Lively (Ryan Reynolds) suing them for malpractice. That's why they rushed to mediation; Blake and Ryan are now legally barred from suing them. Ain't that nice?

Megyn's take is that this most likely happened because Blake's lawyers botched their chance of getting the ALA ruled enforceable, which I must remind you is one of the two motivations for this lawsuit that I had previously laid out.

The two are: one, Blake (Ryan) is furious about missing out on a boatload of money, and two, they wanted Liman to rule the ALA enforceable for some weird reason. Not to then sue for the lost $30M+, but they really needed a court to have the ALA validated.

⟡⧜⟡

Anyways, what Mark and Megyn said was first brought to our attention by Leanne, who posted this:

https://preview.redd.it/6dn5l1quqs0h1.jpg?width=1320&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9f5fd2f46adb73c3b934c4fe8d58d3b93494d230

Here is the edited clip of the conversation showing the relevant portion.

https://reddit.com/link/1tbkbl0/video/9rj78y0aqs0h1/player

As you can see, Mark says:

>"You want to know the cynic in me who as a practical matter will tell you what I think is happening here. When Blake Lively's case was gutted by Judge Liman, he issued an order. If you read that order, he was unflinching in his criticism of her lawyers, to the point where it explains why, if what is being reported is true, as soon as they saw that order, as soon as her case was gutted, she had a monstrous legal malpractice action against her lawyers. 

>How do her lawyers solve that problem? They immediately beg Baldoni's team to go into private mediation. 

>You might say, 'Well, how is that going to solve anything?' There's a Supreme Court case in California that says — and mind you, they mediated this in California with a California-based, Hawaii-based mediator, as I understand it — if you go through private mediation, you can't sue your lawyer for legal malpractice. So, what this was is a very sophisticated legal strategy to insulate the big firm from getting sued for tens of millions of dollars for what could have been argued, if you read Judge Liman's order, were missteps by her lawyers. That's just the cynic in me explaining why all this happened."

Then later Megyn Kelly says:

>"One of the main thrusts of her case was the sexual harassment claim, and it was based on a contract between the parties that never existed. That's what came out in the course of discovery. She never had a signature from the Wayfarer defendants, that's Justin's production company. 

>Team Blake's attorneys tried to scramble and say, well, there was this one version they signed, so that should count. But the court said many other versions came after that. They may have signed that one, but there was no meeting of the minds. There were like nine versions of this contract, and you're asking me to enforce it. Which version do I enforce? The ninth version, after which everybody moved on? Or the one version that might have had a signature but was never countersigned? I can't divine agreement. It has to be shown to me on a piece of paper with two signatures, which any first-year law student knows. 

>So how did we get to the point where these storied lawyers didn't understand that their main claim is not supported by any document? That's a very interesting theory."

Ain't this yummy to know?

⟐⥈⟐

A reminder that even if we are to believe Ryan's argument (activated, mind you, by me making fun of his liquidity issues) that the supposed $3,884,238 is actually profit participation earnings and not a spin to combat the questions raised the last five months, Blake Lively (Ryan Reynolds) still lost out on $30 to $45 million in cold, hard cash she (he) would have received had she simply signed the ALA the first time instead of fucking around.

The way they shifted from continent comp to profit part, a general term, is par for course. These are the people who turned around to spin that the settlement statement is Justin/Wayfarer admitting to something else. They use words and relate with words weirdly.

Also, this was what triggered Ryan to come mindfuck me. It really hit him.

https://preview.redd.it/gfbpggyiss0h1.png?width=1780&format=png&auto=webp&s=2da109af025ca7828d9cb9b7ea9b9fb5967ab500

 

https://preview.redd.it/qj6lm2tsss0h1.png?width=1768&format=png&auto=webp&s=ce0e0862f67b492fa81914fa9b4428ceb92fab7b

Bro!

I guess it is a sin to point out that he does have liquidity issues.

And may I remind him that it was his own people who clued me into this fact last year on this very same app. If he does not want his alleged money issues pointed out, perhaps he should train his Maximum Effort boys on how to behave so they don't spill secrets unbeknownst. And they probably should be taught the difference between liquidity and assets, as that was what unraveled it all and made glaringly clear he is cosplaying being a quarter billionaire/rich.

All I said is he would not have $100-200M in liquid cash lying around and would have to move things around, or sell some assets — either outright or early — to cough up the money for the countersuit damages. So of course he aged like milk left out in the sun during the months the countersuit was active, and could only breathe again after Liman dismissed it. And then his entire apparatus went batshit insane. Oh, those early days of learning were fun.

As I said, Ryan, I'm back to making fun of you nonstop. You can thank Stephanie Jones for that. And by the way, I don't think you berated her enough when you called her, because she came screaming and ranting at me in a nine-day-old post. A nine-day post when her last comment to me was the said nine days ago. Yikes. She really is bad at social media.

⟡

The attacks are back but I feel light. We are so going to have fun. This is fun. I'm ecstatic.

Oh, also, it's fun that I wrote in a comment that in my opinion he is a sociopath at 11:16 a.m, and then the post was immediately attacked and taken down, only to be reapproved by the mods at 11:27 a.m. Now, correlation is not causation, but it's surely interesting, no?

⟡

Like I said, we gon have fun, and make sure you thank Stephanie Jones for it.

TL;DR: Freedman didn't use exhibits while deposing Blake, letting her talk freely and lie freely. It was we the public who blew up the plan by alerting her lawyers, robbing Freedman of the chance to eviscerate her with receipts on the stand, when we flagged her dailies perjury publicly. Her lawyers, finally connecting the dots, panicked and called for emergency mediation. Blake Lively's lies, as always, were her undoing. Freedman played the long game and won.

https://preview.redd.it/p20k7puh9e0h1.png?width=2040&format=png&auto=webp&s=36ad86b91240368bdbd66f6054302d67db91abb5

She perjured herself in her deposition, and we (this sub and every TikToker) clued them into it when the Ange Giannetti's "Blake asked me to delete the dailies" texts were released.

Before memory lane, a few important things to note. 

It was Esra Hudson who uploaded those text messages as part of the Great Unsealing 2.0 — as one of the exhibits Blake flagged in her motion in limine, asking Liman to prevent Wayfarer from showing certain Sony communications to the jury.

https://preview.redd.it/lrb6y7ae7e0h1.png?width=2364&format=png&auto=webp&s=7d57dc8ec220033933997fd11e8a13c2a7d10bdc

https://preview.redd.it/s7oaahfg7e0h1.png?width=2116&format=png&auto=webp&s=09611975c2afe779d047b25f15260a9924d0c1af

⟡

It’s important to note that at no point did the Wayfarer parties tip Blake and her lawyers off to the probative value of that text. Instead, they characterized the Sony texts they wanted at trial as needed to "rebut Lively's argument that it was not her threats and use of leverage but her strong relationship with Sony that led Sony to agree to her demands. The negative views of Lively expressed by top-level Sony executives are highly probative on this point. They suggest, in short, that Lively had a bad reputation, at least among the people who mattered at Sony."

https://preview.redd.it/5h459dup8e0h1.png?width=2354&format=png&auto=webp&s=50d462aaabd36aca0007cfd2e9546ed22ccc51cc

https://preview.redd.it/hmyagauq8e0h1.png?width=2386&format=png&auto=webp&s=44058a1a673152ca3e2c1b260761ea3df8f6175a

https://preview.redd.it/3qoz9v1s8e0h1.png?width=2352&format=png&auto=webp&s=ff627233b0b1bc76a54e76a7f11d3894302a6b91

To her lawyers, the delete dailies text was simply Wayfarer arguing Blake had thrown her weight around as usual and Sony execs didn't like her. Nothing is said about catching Blake in a lie, because why would they?

Good. All caught up.

⨪ 

So how did Blake, Esra Hudson and Gottlieb not see this coming? And why didn't the Wayfarer parties show their hand?

Simple: Bryan fucking Freedman.

He led the defense to play a masterful long game, which is exactly why Blake and Gottlieb came out swinging at him recently. Freedman did what he always does: gambled to lock Blake into her lies. It’s the same play as the decision to not then amend the countersuit. Liman just fucked that up before it could conclude as planned This time, it did.

Enough chitchatting. Let's get to the nitty gritty. Freedman played Blake like a fiddle, catching her in perjury without her or her lawyers being any the wiser, positioning himself to eviscerate her on the stand.

What?

⟐ 

Yes. Does anyone remember the Blakeys, and even Kat, calling Freedman a moron for not using any exhibits while deposing Blake? Don't worry, I forgot too. I did try and had to give up trying to find those posts; finding things from a year ago is no small task. So, instead, I combined all her available deposition excerpts into one document: 126 pages out of a 294-page full deposition. Uploaded here: https://api.penpres.com/api/blakestein/d/blake-lively-deposition-excerpts-ac8e9b

⧜

As you can see, it was only Babcock who gave her exhibits to review as she answered:

https://preview.redd.it/5n6yx26t3e0h1.png?width=1828&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d898e7bf1b5c6d2b817846b8fa8cbac65ee5a5e

Freedman simply had a conversation with her. Disarming her. Asking what she recalled, whether things happened, whether anything would surprise her. He let her talk.

https://preview.redd.it/8h8qyl1b5e0h1.png?width=2384&format=png&auto=webp&s=469ef17c89494a7f039b4de953ad6a97a19462ac

https://preview.redd.it/tl8llayb5e0h1.png?width=2404&format=png&auto=webp&s=aed6f45660b70ace5cb7e050cde184b12c5b81eb

https://preview.redd.it/59w2n0bd5e0h1.png?width=2374&format=png&auto=webp&s=d238eac0f44503f81fdab9ea04f486c3a536e517

https://preview.redd.it/eeogwlje5e0h1.png?width=2352&format=png&auto=webp&s=cce2d55cc1eb4616fee2dc03fb08d6120b06c9cb

https://preview.redd.it/276s5udg5e0h1.png?width=2272&format=png&auto=webp&s=eb268baa5d97b9ee35611e2464ea7b17e68b27f9

https://preview.redd.it/tsb8myhh5e0h1.png?width=1876&format=png&auto=webp&s=997746a4c3eb1467f30b1436aa972afd0f683c74

https://preview.redd.it/jt5qpvxj5e0h1.png?width=1870&format=png&auto=webp&s=4345ec1f262aeafca4e40702a7814135715d01ff

** and the question about the dailies was not even directed at her explicitly; it was worked into a conversation about her 17-point document and the January meeting. She had no idea what she was actually being asked.

https://preview.redd.it/tchy9her5e0h1.png?width=1898&format=png&auto=webp&s=bad39b3ed57ad64b22d8e8b5f24e67967109ae39

Why? Because Blake lies constantly and shifts her story so much that showing her any information is effectively coaching her on how to lie better. So, they sat back and waited for trial. Until we all went batshit insane over her dailies perjury and tipped her and her lawyers off to the pain coming for her at trial.

 ⥈

Her lawyers were almost certainly up all Friday, May 1, 2026, cross-referencing her deposition against every exhibit Wayfarer wanted admitted, realizing how cornered they were. They called Freedman that day: sir, private mediation, pronto.

He played them. It was over. Blake Lively’s lies ruined her.

Every unconventional strategy Freedman deployed that people mocked him for is precisely why the Wayfarer parties won. Conventional lawyers would have lost as Gottlieb and Esra Hudson would have pivoted and parried far more effectively. Even they know, in their heart of hearts, that had Liman allowed the countersuit amendment, they would have been in serious trouble, and they know the appeal was no joke.

Which is why Gottlieb came out swinging at Freedman, only to turn red and blush like a schoolgirl the moment he was told Freedman actually liked him.

And there you have it.

 

Before I write the other posts I have planned, I wanted to let you know that as of yesterday we have affirmatively confirmed the b⁍t accounts have been switched off.

I mean, you could tell when both Blake and Ryan's IG numbers dropped by the same amount that they had shut down one farm, but we did not realize they were winding down operations, or that they would do it this fast.

I'm told CLD and the others are a ghost town.

But more importantly, a miracle happened as I watched the upvote ratio on my last post. It remained at 100%. This is unfathomable. Twenty-four hours later and it's still at 100% upvote.

https://preview.redd.it/7ehuov5tta0h1.png?width=1494&format=png&auto=webp&s=e90c6c5c3de5adfc882bcf76e79a2e9e668aceba

I called Blake a flaming liar and called out Gottlieb and MJ for being liars too, and not one downvote.

Insane.

 

Things they used to do:

1. Downvote posts to suppress them
I have had b⁍ts attached to my account that immediately downvote my posts within seconds of publishing them. Even my posts sharing transcripts of interviews and other innocuous content are downvoted.

https://preview.redd.it/20cqsknwta0h1.png?width=1482&format=png&auto=webp&s=5280589a6483805d90e40c185e35b84d9d88fec7

https://preview.redd.it/8aqd4sixta0h1.png?width=1492&format=png&auto=webp&s=39840e227cf147cefa186efcb9c10d8ab69691ab

They downvote any post I publish enough within minutes that it gets pushed down and eventually does not show up for you. This screenshot was taken January 6, 2026, at 5:11 a.m. and it had 7 downvotes within minutes.

https://preview.redd.it/8uotp220ua0h1.png?width=1578&format=png&auto=webp&s=c79a68dbfabacacee3c17743afdcfdc46a45050c

A successful end goal looks like this:

https://preview.redd.it/kgdm0kj1ua0h1.png?width=1498&format=png&auto=webp&s=912cf3c5acf2af3080e829f76567710c4c3e7e12

https://preview.redd.it/0buz5mx2ua0h1.png?width=1496&format=png&auto=webp&s=220938125dbf95cf3784b07894ddcad1ad57bbbb

 

2. Simultaneously report posts so they are automatically removed from the sub
They figured that trick out, and it then requires mods to manually approve posts for them to come back. Meanwhile, you as the author are not alerted. You have no idea. And you lose momentum when your post gets yanked, and when it's reapproved, it gets pushed back to the bottom of the pile.

⧜

Fun fact: one of my most recently removed posts is my ALA post.

https://preview.redd.it/5553am6gua0h1.png?width=2116&format=png&auto=webp&s=b13b9b77c163aa4c1160a602331bdc9027aeabda

It was published at 5:01 p.m. and it had to be manually reapproved by a mod five hours later.

https://preview.redd.it/7ye3lot3va0h1.png?width=2966&format=png&auto=webp&s=c23df7229b1c7b0592974adf881466dc55db9f9d

I do not know how long it was taken down. You have no idea how many posts of mine they did this to. They even did it twice to my Colleen Hoover post. Silly birds!

⟐

I need to clear the air on something: throughout the course of my ALA series run, I got into a very complex back and forth with two people I have since concluded are s❍ck accounts that ran a psyop on me. Unfortunately, for some reason Clark later got roped into it because some assumptions were made about my subsequent vexation in Part III.

As you can see in the screenshot above, I wrote part II two days after I published my Part I. You can just imagine what was happening in those two days. And because of the insanity that occurred over the three part, I reached a place mentally that I became done. I decided then I was going to delete my Reddit account. But, I was first going to wait till certain things got unsealed and I wrote my last promised post on the series.

And I also did not want to make it hard for people to find my previous posts. So, I made public my comment and post history, and started putting together a record of all my posts, which I now have here: https://penpres.com/article/all-my-reddit-posts-on-blake-v-wayfarer-parties And I signed out for two weeks straight. I'm glad I later figured out, with the help of some incredible people, what happened, which I kinda allude to in my letter to Ryan Reynolds at the end of this post.

 

3. Getting you shadow banned
Yeah. Ain't that fun? Since the ALA post they tried to yank down and didn't succeed, I had in fact been shadow banned until two days ago. It's not my first time being shadow banned, but this one is interesting because it magically stopped two days ago. Like magic. Somehow, I'm no longer throttled, and my comments are easily hitting 11k views. And like magic, my post is for the first time in months since the ALA climbing up the board. Insane right. The things we see.

⟡

Anyways, have you noticed anything different on your end? Have you guys lost any tail recently?

.

+⟐⟡+

Letter to Ryan,

Dear Ryan, you actually had won, and honestly, I respect the mindfuck you put me through, but Stephanie Jones ruins things. I swear, I didn't catch on to what was happening until she came at me recently and ran your play without the finesse.

So, I realized: you guys want to discredit me and have me branded as a liar, and I had played right into that. Blake's other play at me though immediately got a laugh from me and I just cannot respect her and the PR folks. Honestly, you remain the only one I respect. I mean I spent hours telling you my weak points and asking you not to do them and then you went and weaponized it to literally drive me bonkers while coming off suave. Respect.

I own up to it. I didn't connect the dots until an incredible person said to me, "But who does this remind you of? Who would want to break your mind and spirit so much, and would succeed, and will only back off if you say you are wrong and they are right?"

It took a minute to get there, and then I started laughing hysterically. Well played. I respect it. Honestly, respect. Now I'm going to forever clown you for being a broke ass with liquidity issues, which seemed to have triggered you enough to mindfuck me so. Oh, we're so going to have fun, dearest.

As for Stephanie Jones, I didn't give two shits about her before but now oh, it's bloody on.

Michael Gottlieb went on The Town with Matt Belloni and straight up lied

https://preview.redd.it/aazp5d2og30h1.png?width=2574&format=png&auto=webp&s=b1d28e3e41a0ed30488c6d961b9462c10d7ce925

https://preview.redd.it/kfw42a2og30h1.png?width=2602&format=png&auto=webp&s=a57d39d3965d78c11d5533690aa69704018ad427

+

Blake's PR shrill over at Threads as usual pulled her PJs together to spew absolute bullshit as she does whenever she's deployed by Blake's team to be included in news articles and tv interviews as a public opinion leader qualified to speak about the case.

https://preview.redd.it/rz4ncfwrg30h1.jpg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6d3ed3dbfa6ad2d038e360331c9c2f3486d53604

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Well, ladies and gentlemen, let's check the board, shall we?

1. Well, what did Blake and her lawyer include in her complaint?

https://preview.redd.it/ovwnor9dh30h1.png?width=2048&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb06c3efa29ad212e73dce230121a7eaa1ca6388

https://preview.redd.it/mud5onaeh30h1.png?width=1768&format=png&auto=webp&s=99caadbef96fe427ced9dfdf5efcc6d79e4406a5

https://preview.redd.it/0pyc69chh30h1.png?width=1878&format=png&auto=webp&s=88f09df4b6b67b8820c225bd3d5b5530ad697a2d

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2. Blake's 56.1 Response

https://preview.redd.it/cc67so9lh30h1.png?width=2408&format=png&auto=webp&s=6a8fc93c45cadfb4302b58384e0404af8d7f4918

https://preview.redd.it/8buv2aerh30h1.png?width=2370&format=png&auto=webp&s=a6f520486fca4dd680b9bd330160aa4918a70a6d

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3. The NYT article

https://preview.redd.it/qt3yx3muh30h1.png?width=2766&format=png&auto=webp&s=04978d2eda2db76a6192bf95a71879adf11b1022

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4. What about what was outrightly said in text messages? From Blake to Temu Glen Powell, from Ryan to Colleen Hoover, and from Ryan's now fired agent Warren Zavala to Ryan himself?

https://preview.redd.it/j9d7t7x0i30h1.png?width=2442&format=png&auto=webp&s=673f903c7ebb92c34596e74cf5097923b3554c2c

https://preview.redd.it/f0hvfw62i30h1.png?width=2440&format=png&auto=webp&s=cc3c213fbfe8a3bc6c7d82e6c408e3ec9ccba84c

https://preview.redd.it/ugwz41uhi30h1.png?width=2424&format=png&auto=webp&s=97a23c89cded5e1bfb74e2445ec200c43f2912df

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Blake's problem is she suffers from lie-a-betes. She literally had to give up her case because she lied under oath in her deposition, claiming she never asked Sony to delete dailies. And her own lawyers unknowingly released evidence that showed her perjury. We can only imagine the vast number of other lies yet to be undiscovered from said deposition that her lawyers were right to have been scared to put her on the stand as she would have been eviscerated in a glorious fashion, so they pulled the plug two weeks before trial.

Girl.

You would think the entire machinery that is Blake Lively's legal and PR team would have the decency to no longer lie about things that are easily verifiable. You know, considering how lying defined and ended their sham of a lawsuit. I guess lie-a-betes is a contagious illness. It must infect everything it touches.

Dear Gottlieb, if you lot did not allege in your complaint that Wayfarer used b⁍ts, please kindly explain what you were alleging when you wrote the following:

• Complaint (pg 90, ¶283): "On August 10, 2024, Ms. Lively sent a text message to a female cast member regarding how she was doing, writing that she was: 'Both thrilled and so bummed. Him literally hiring b[]ts to attach [sic] my character while I promote a movie that he benefits most from financially is a terrible feeling. It's almost impossible to comprehend.'"
• Response to the Wayfarer Defendants' 56.1 (pg 114, Plaintiff's Response 289): "Disputed that Nathan confirmed they were not using fake accounts."

I guess they weren't alleging Wayfarer was using b⁌ts. Guys, please understand, that they instead were either alleging they were using fake accounts or rather insinuating the use of b⁍ts. But, never alleging use of b⁌ts itself though, because word play, aimrite?

Gottlieb is out here lending credence to our belief he ain’t getting paid and now he gotta sing for his supper. As for MJ, I would have to think her sensible in the first place to be surprised. She will always dance to shrill the party line.

Can't stop lying, the lot of them.

I'm telling you lie-a-betes.

As usual, transcript's up at: https://penpres.com/article/transcript-of-elsie-and-karol-interview-with-kevin-fritz

https://preview.redd.it/zh6niy7qc00h1.png?width=3598&format=png&auto=webp&s=c146e5c272272c684491459e8fb06c98fe7cd385

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1. Had to litigated in court and the court of public opinion

He describes the case as a battle in two forums — the actual courtroom and the court of public opinion. He explains that it was always important to Justin and the other defendants to take the high road, even when facing provocative tactics from Blake Lively and her lawyers. The goal was to let the public see the evidence and draw their own conclusions.

 

2. Whether online commentary influenced their legal strategy

No online commentary from content creators did not change their legal strategy but they felt their pain. He gets it, the public can sometimes be frustrated with the pace of litigation, not realizing that a year-and-a-half timeline is actually relatively short for a case of this nature. The legal team always had a plan for when and whether to file motions, regardless of public pressure.

 

3. The impact of public support

Fritz acknowledges that the case would have been significantly more difficult had social media been against the Wayfarer team in the last 18 months. 

And this is where I insert myself to remind you that you made a difference. Your voice mattered. Your support mattered. You held Blake Lively and her cohort of deplorables accountable.

Back to Fritz, he is not uncouth like me nor does he swear. Instead, he credits the public and content creators for taking the time to review evidence, analyze filings, and draw their own conclusions. He specifically praises Little Girl Attorney and Not Actually Golden, saying he watched their videos and found their legal analysis helpful, and yes, he did incorporate their insights into his filings. Go LGA and NAG!

 

4. Blake Lively unnecessarily named many defendants in her smear campaign of a lawsuit

When asked what narrative he'd most like to correct, Fritz highlights the individuals who were unnecessarily dragged into the case, specifically Jen Abel and Melissa Nathan who Blake Lively simply sued for doing their jobs, and Steve Sarowitz who she only named in her lawsuit simply because he is a Wayfarer's co-founder.

Again, she decided to punish these people in a mean girl way because they were hired, good at their job, and one just managed to be a cofounder with deep pockets. Let that sink in. And she wonders why we call her a mean bully. 

Anyways, Fritz points out that Liman ultimately dismissed each of them, validating that they should never have been included in Blake Lively’s sham of a lawsuit in the first place.

Fritz also praises Natasha for her strength, referencing the moment at pre-trial hearing when Ellyn Garafalo was like yeah, we are okay with the release of video evidence without hesitation. You could hear a pin drop in the courtroom. 

 

5. Reiterating the settlement piece again

With the settlement they were able to achieve a dismissal of all remaining claims with no money paid, which is the same result they would have gotten on their best day at trial. By settling for the equivalent of a trial win, they avoided any risk of an adverse ruling.

As for Blake Lively’s silly 47.1 motion, Fritz clarifies that the anti-SLAPP motion (Rule 47.1) was never going to be resolved at trial regardless. It would have remained on the table whether they went to trial or not. They gave nothing up on that front.

Scorecard: Blake Lively started with 15 claims. She voluntarily dropped 2 (emotional distress claims when pressed for medical records). Judge Liman dismissed 10. She then voluntarily dismissed the remaining 3 in exchange for no money. And while Blake may run new declaring herself victorious and other traditional media ran suit like monkeys without forethought (again, my framing here), Fritz says "I don't know what she's won." And I cackled and cackled and tried to find the moon in the sky. 

 

6. Please always remember the purpose of the film

When asked what he hopes people take away from the case, Fritz says he hopes the original intention of the film It Ends With Us, raising awareness of domestic violence, never gets lost just because Blake Lively refused to take responsibility and tried to use the legal system to prosecute the entire internet and rewrite history (again, framing’s mine).

That’s it!

 

Notable quotes from Kevin Fritz

• "We got the same thing that we would have achieved on our best day at trial. And although we were extremely confident going into the trial... by settling for the same thing we would have got with winning a trial, we avoided any risk of an adverse ruling." 
• "We always thought it was important to show the public all the facts that we were allowed to show." 
• "I was very impressed with the way that people who are not ordinarily in the legal field were able to review the documents, digest what they said, be able to explain them in a coherent fashion and not using legalese." 
• "Bryan Freedman's a bulldog. You can see why people who have situations like this one flock to him."

 

Rapid fire highlights

• What word or phrase do you never want to hear again: Smear campaign
• Which one do you do more: Watch content or read filings more?  Watched content first, then read filings as the content made the filings easier to digest 
• Did you intentionally write nuggets for the public: Absolutely yes. While he kept letters professional, he tried to make sure his writings resonated with the public 
• His courtroom hype song: "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey |
• Favorite law movie or character: Vincent Gambini in My Cousin Vinny
• Did you laugh at any filings: He laughed at Elsie's videos and commentaries
• Did he have any screen time concerns: Whenever he would check social media at night with a glass of wine, his wife would say "You're looking again?"
• What's next: He joked he'd quit litigation and do online legal analysis as the first associate of FAFO and Associates.

 

 

Transcript can be found: https://penpres.com/article/attorney-for-justin-baldoni-and-the-wayfarer-parties-kevin-fritz-speaks-with-court-of-random-opinion-lauren

https://preview.redd.it/s2pf0ajumzzg1.png?width=3600&format=png&auto=webp&s=ca4cc17715e58a9b0a7cf34bb89ccc69351b682e

 

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Key points

1. The settlement was a clear win 
The settlement is a win for Justin and the other Wayfarer Parties as $0 of the $300M Blake Lively sought was awarded. They got the very same result they would have gotten had they been 100% successful at trial. The settlement allowed them to reach the best possible trial outcome without the risk. 

To recap, here is what happened over the course of the case. Blake Lively voluntarily dismissed her two (2) emotional distress claims when asked for medical records. Judge Liman then dismissed 10 claims at summary judgement. And this week Blake called Freedman’s office out of the blue saying they need to immediately go to a private mediation, and she want to get this settled immediately and voluntarily withdraw the remaining three claims against business entities. She was the one who reached out to Freedman out of the blue. 

 

2. Having no NDA is highly unusual but transparency was always their goal.
Yes, again, as previously told, the settlement contains no non-disclosure agreement or confidentiality clause, which while very unusual and absolutely not the norm was important to Justin and the others. They have always wanted to be transparent and tell the public the truth.

 

3. The media strategy was intentional and effective
The public release of text messages and emails helped with shifting public opinion overwhelmingly in favor of the Wayfarer Parties. Fritz acknowledges that content creators like Not Actually Golden, Little Girl Attorney and Lauren helped explain the legal  proceedings in accessible language and offered insights which he personally found helpful.

 

4. The content creator subpoenas were unprecedented
Blake Lively issued approximately 100 subpoenas to content creators and others. Fritz says he has never seen anything like it in his career and didn't understand the strategic benefit of pissing off people who were writing about the case. He just can’t quite get the strategic logic of that act. Same here Fritz, same here. 

 

5. Attacks on Bryan Freedman were abnormal
In hundreds of cases he has worked on, he has never seen the volume or severity of personal attacks on opposing counsel that Freedman had to endure throughout this ordeal. He notes that isn’t it ironic that Blake tried to muzzle Freedman from speaking and publicly defending his clients, while her attorneys were running up and around the gasket doing the same (paraphrasing here and use of words are mine). It’s hypocritical for Blake Lively’s lawyers to be doing the very same thing they accused Freedman of doing. Ain’t that a word?

 

6. Vanzan lawsuit was a procedural end-run
Fritz calls Vanzan lawsuit unprecedented in his 20+ years of practice. He believes its sole purpose was to serve subpoenas (particularly targeting Jennifer Abel's communications) without giving proper notice to the affected parties. Here he thanks the public for helping to uncover this maneuver. 

 

7. The case isn't fully over
There is still Blake’s Rule 47.1 motion, Jen Abel’s third-party claim against Jonesworks in the consolidated case, and Stephanie Jones v. Jennifer Abel (a separate lawsuit, which has a conference scheduled for August 2026). Fritz emphasizes that Jen still deserves public support so please show up for her like you did for Justin. She had her privacy violently violated in the most disgusting way possible. 

 

8. They had minimal concerns about the jury
They were worried about there been a possibility they couldn’t have seated an unbiased jury. The Southern District of New York is large enough that many people had never heard of either party. He found it strange that Blake and her lawyers were raising the idea of the jurors being "passive participants in the smear campaign." Like, seriously? 

 

9. It’s important that we know there is a human cost to a case like this
There are five people Blake decide to ruin willy nilly. Justin Baldoni, Jamie Heath, Jennifer Abel, Melissa Nathan, and Steve Sarowitz had their lives affected for 18 months. More than half of them weren't even on set.

Yet, she waged a most disgusting smear campaign on them (my words). She doxxed Justin’s house address which resulted in him moving and Steve Sarowitz had an arsonist on his property as a result of this case. So, they had to deal with safety concerns amidst the emotional toll of prolonged litigation.

So, while we think they should have not settled and gone to trial, put that in mind and remember that they got the very same result with the settlement they would have gotten at trial if they had been 100% successful. For me, it does put things in context. Not sure about you. 

 

10. Why not go to trial?
Following up on the previous point, the reason is simple: they achieved the same result without the risk, cost, and emotional toll on their clients. He understands the public appetite for a trial and the need to see justice but: 

-      Wayfarer Parties bore the emotional and financial burden, not the public; 

-      There was always inherent uncertainty with a jury; 

-      The settlement achieved the same result as a best-case trial verdict; and 

-      Everyone was ready to move on

I remain committed to reminding you to find joy for the rest of today and in the coming days, as Blake Lively continues to spiral because her tone-deaf Met Gala outing did not land as she thought it would.

Great song for nonstop listening, highly recommended: "Joy" by Raye ft. her talented sisters Amma and Absolutely: https://youtu.be/taHYtEGxLnw. I cannot gush enough about how great and divine this song is.

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Now back to the issue at hand. Well, dearest people, what do I see in the wild but Grazia ME telling us that Miranda Priestly would have only one thing to say about Blake's Met Gala look and attendance, and it's the iconic:

https://reddit.com/link/1t6mng5/video/ianmviaaxrzg1/player

https://preview.redd.it/9vsgmlwryrzg1.png?width=2084&format=png&auto=webp&s=34bf6f7a446b5a106f044466c716d4adcc428526

And the throat was cleared after. K.

https://reddit.com/link/1t6mng5/video/kll25idxxrzg1/player

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Link to the carousel = https://www.instagram.com/p/DX8FKn1iYu9/?img_index=9

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Other snazzy Miranda Priestly judgments include:

➬ What we all thought about Lauren Bezos

https://reddit.com/link/1t6mng5/video/dgsin6fzxrzg1/player

&

➬ Other looks like these:

https://reddit.com/link/1t6mng5/video/16gp3ob5yrzg1/player

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Reminder that media mentions of her Met Gala outing that were not placed by Blake's PR team were akin to the side-eye that was constant in every shot of her we've seen from Monday.

And this is where she always thought she would be in her wheelhouse. Yet the Met Gala, and it would seem fashion itself, appears to be rejecting her, regardless of whatever PR spin Blake is trying to push.

Find something to behold in that.

I recommend listening to Raye's Joy as you read this post of mine and all day long. Unfortunately, I can't embed it directly here.

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Don't get this twisted, the two filings and the statements are just Blake Lively reacting the way she always does when nothing goes her way. She thought she had her victory lap. She thought she had her moment and was back in with the elites, but instead everyone sneered at her at the Met Gala. She was ostracized, and the only person she managed to corral was Anne Hathaway, who is apparently disappointed that fans hated her for taking a picture with Blake.

The press, meanwhile, has been lukewarm. Her paid media has parroted her talking points, but she can't seem to generate earned media. Everyone else is critical. Australian and British press are giving her the tongue-lashing she deserves.

And then yesterday, we spent the entire day fawning over Emily Baldoni, looking this ethereal.

https://preview.redd.it/xdym5n3t8qzg1.jpg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a48946f873ad1b0319379e617baf122f1ef1adcc

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Blake had three days prior to file the settlement with Judge Liman, and somehow instead managed to coincidentally file it the day after Justin and Emily were photographed looking in love and younger than ever, as if the gods had bestowed upon them the gift of youth.

Yeah, do imagine her headspace last night. Actually, don't. Nobody deserves that.

So, darling dear, do brace for a blood bath of a press fight as Blake acts the way any wounded wild animal does: lashing out without reason. As we get mad (and by all means, be fucking mad) also take great comfort in knowing that she is, with her own hands, ruining whatever else, whatever goodwill she might, could have cobbled together after all.

She still refuses to let it sink in that her case is with the public.

Anyone else sensible would be working on rebuilding public trust. But like we have managed to determine, Blake Lively is dumb and a huge moron.

This nonsense she's now pulling just continues to confirm, for all of us, that she will continue to be who exactly she will always be for the rest of her life — a mean bully. A terrible person with no soul. Someone who deserves no leeway whatsoever, because she ruins things. Because she is a petulant brat who acts impulsively to hurt others, and can never take responsibility.

That is her legacy going forward. She is the actress who opened herself up to reveal the full depth of her soul and it is ugly and black.

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Link to Raye's Joy: https://youtu.be/taHYtEGxLnw

https://preview.redd.it/rvbowszxyqzg1.png?width=1780&format=png&auto=webp&s=71033f79b7826358d3d8d4b2ee5741801371ad5a

Shout out to realhousewifeofphila for making me realize this.

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Quick recap: The rumor swirling around town is that Blake Lively wasn't invited or sponsored at this year's Met Gala. Instead, she forked over $100k to purchase her own ticket and scrambled last minute to make things work so she could launch her "I'm back" tour. And she really does not want the world to know she had to pay to attend.

https://preview.redd.it/5fsxe469ajzg1.png?width=1270&format=png&auto=webp&s=f1ee29058ffb197b5c9426adf635a0e662ca0196

Her minions have tried all kinds of spins to counter it, and they weren't landing. But for traditional media, the story is:

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May 4 and yesterday: Versace sponsored her. Elle was one of the outlets to say it, while Vogue and others just largely insinuated it.

https://preview.redd.it/8fzt26puajzg1.png?width=2318&format=png&auto=webp&s=700ff675d067f24392392206c2bc1e2cff57a7c8

https://preview.redd.it/r6eardhabjzg1.png?width=1846&format=png&auto=webp&s=9734cc7f4a0dadefdbfc3126290ccd702c141c52

&

https://preview.redd.it/1z3ax0zabjzg1.png?width=3058&format=png&auto=webp&s=f2874b87ad4265e41fd95e1673652b3a8c07f203

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Yesterday and today: Dear ladies and gentlemen, today it's Anna Wintour herself, Vogue itself, that invited her. Blake attended with Anna.

https://preview.redd.it/zphbf6bpdjzg1.png?width=2404&format=png&auto=webp&s=b4c031a41066684bea6b157f03d8acca01b31f26

https://preview.redd.it/of5m6twrjjzg1.png?width=2018&format=png&auto=webp&s=90860329d0399719ae55adb3df81fdc265d8deac

+

https://preview.redd.it/jnuebis8cjzg1.png?width=2978&format=png&auto=webp&s=c4f279745a41af14327ed54990902512d26df9a1

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In summary: Yesterday, we royally clowned Blake all day. And then at 5:26 PM EST/EDT, she started running news coverage changing her story from "Versace sponsored me" to "Anna Wintour of the great house of Vogue sponsored me."

I would like to tender this too:

https://preview.redd.it/6wy64e5wejzg1.png?width=2218&format=png&auto=webp&s=7fc117be5f231a34196c7878c3e6a192e7edaf49

And they say this sub is a joke. Good luck to her(SJ) minions trying to paint me as someone who peddles conspiracy theories and lies. I wonder why? Babes, I just read the tea leaves. Perhaps stop lying.

I wonder how Anna Wintour feels about this.

I guess Blake buying her own ticket, which would mean having to sit at a non-brand-sponsored table, is something to spin as sitting at Vogue's table. I mean, after all, all the tables are Vogue's — since it's a Vogue event in the first place.

Looks like Blake forgot that she had told Vogue and Vogue had printed on May 4, 2026 that she had attended Met Gala with Donatella Versace.

❅⧟❅

🎧She lies. She lies. I know she lies. 🎶🎼

Never stop staying on Blake Lively's neck. And Deuxmoi just receding to temuGossip Girl. Yikes!

As usual, the transcript is published here for easy reading: https://penpres.com/article/250c12e0-3e57-4c8a-a33f-f05aceda17c4

 

https://preview.redd.it/33qe12rj3gzg1.png?width=3498&format=png&auto=webp&s=8a37ec8ce4ed20ff3eaa20815efda8ef64b3bb92

.

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Key Takeaways
1. Summary Judgment was the real victory, not the settlement
The pivotal moment of the case was when Judge Liman yanked in red marks 10 of 13 claims, dismissing them via MSJ and MJOP. His removed all individual defendants from the case. To recap, Justin Baldoni, Jamie Heath, Jen Abel and Steve Sarowitz are out completely. The have nada presence in the case anymore. And Melissa Nathan is out as an individual. 

Right now, only the corporate entities remain (Wayfarer Studios, IEWUM LLC, The Agency Group) with just 3 claims left. So, the settlement is a resolution of what remained after the real fight was already won.

 ⧜

2. The "technicality" argument is legally baseless
He did directly address the Blakey narrative making the round, that Blake's claims were dismissed on a "technicality." Funny how they never parroted that the Wayfarer Parties counter claims were dismissed on technicality last year and ever since. But I digress.

Since they apparently need to be told/explained, Bryan points out that every legal claim requires proving specific elements. If you can't meet those burdens, your case is thrown out as a matter of law. Calling that a technicality is a tortured description of what actually happened. Judge Liman's opinion clearly laid out what needed to be proven and why Blake failed to prove it. Period. In layman terms, she had no case.

He brings up Blake's PGA letter, in which she detailed how much control she had over the production, as directly contradicting her claims of powerlessness and being a mere employee with no agency

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3. Justin's 1 priority: the ability to speak his truth
The single most important thing for them during the settlement negotiations was ensuring Justin (and others like Emily, Jamie Heath, and Natasha) would NOT be bound by a broad confidentiality clause. While most settlements include sweeping non-disclosure/non-disparagement terms, there were lines in the sand that Justin always maintained, which is that he would never agree to anything that restrained his ability to eventually tell his story. Justin being able to tell his story is essential to healing, for Justin and for the many other people affected. Bryan confirms Justin for sure will be speaking publicly soon. 

  ⧜

4. The "concerns deserve to be heard" language is not an admission of guilt
Regarding this line in the statement: 

>"We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserve to be heard,"

Freedman says that while he cannot discuss the settlement statement specifics, he needs to point out that Justin has always believed all people should be heard, regardless of the situation. This sentiment is not inorganic to Justin, but rather consistent with who he genuinely is as a person. It is not an admission of wrongdoing

  ⧜

5. The case is not technically over yet
Several steps still remain, such as Blake filing to formally dismiss the case and Judge Liman approving the resolution. There may be other things that come up as a result. He notes that there’s nothing's ministerial in this thing.

  ⧜

6. The Stephanie Jones case continues
Freedman states they will marshal all resources on the Stephanie Jones vs. Melissa Nathan/Jen Abel case and really dive into and move forward on that. There are also other collateral issues still pending.

 ⧜ 

7. The evidence strategy changed everything
Days before the Palisades fires, Bryan had visited the Wayfarer Studios for the first time, bringing his wife and son. He remembers being moved to tears seeing how destroyed and broken the defendants were. That's when they found the upside down emojis and evidence that didn't add up; and text messages contradicting Blake's claims (e.g., the "come in my trailer, I'm pumping" text vs. the claim that Baldoni entered uninvited while she was breastfeeding).

The decision to put all evidence out publicly — via the website, the amended complaint, and text messages — was unprecedented but necessary. 

Which Dana confirms, yes, this was the turning point that shifted public opinion and moved people off the fence.

  ⧜

8. Blake at the Met Gala
Bryan diplomatically says, "We all heal in different ways." Now, personally for him, it would not be how he handled it. He would have gone off instead to a beach and done self-improvement reflection. But we have to remember, he is not her. He can't speak for someone who's been an actress for 30 years. As such, he gives her the dignity of her own journey.

  ⧜

9. Justin's character
Bryan describes Baldoni as: the real deal — you know, the sweet, loving, kind. He’s genuinely vulnerable and willing to examine himself. He is someone who apologizes for speaking over people in text messages — not as an admission of guilt, but because he genuinely wants to be better. Sincerely one of the good guys.

 

10. Content creators changed the game
Bryan repeatedly praises content creators (Dana, Zack, and others like Andy, Lauren, Elsie) for their intelligence and willingness to dig into evidence, courage to express opinions despite backlash ("digital violence" 😂🤣😂), creating an insurmountable powerful force, teaching him things law school never did and playing a role in cultural and social change around how litigation works. 

He suggests future collaborations — finding wrongfully imprisoned people and helping others in crisis. This won’t be closure, but the start of something.

 ⧜ 

11. Bryan's philosophy on crisis and healing
Bryan shares his approach to clients in crisis: He takes clients to the Children's Hospital to gain perspective. He believes the cathartic nature of who you can help from your experience is really what healing is based on. 

⧟

Bottom line: this is a vindication. The outcome is the summary judgment, which was a vindication. The settlement is just cleaning up left over pieces of crumbs. The settlement only resolves the remaining claims against corporate entities. All the individual defendants had already been cleared by Judge Liman. But the case isn't formally closed until the Liman signs off. And the Stephanie Jones case continues. 

If I were her, I would be getting ready for the maximum flogging soon to come. She is majorly on the hook for Vanzan, which ties into the appealable defamation NYT case. I doubt WME will be protecting her one bit. But that’s just me spit balling. 

 ⥈⟡

Notable Quotes

• "When the summary judgment motion was granted, that was kind of the moment. That was the celebratory moment."
• "Calling something a technicality because you didn't meet one of the burdens is a really tortured description of what that really means."
• "There were lines in the sand that Justin's always had. He's always wanted to be able at some point to speak."
• "I don't think this is closure. I think this is the start."
• "We all heal in different ways... I have to give someone the dignity of their own journey."

 

⟐

** P.s., I will publish Kjersti Flaa's tomorrow. I'm exhausted at the moment.

This is in continuation of the post with the videos here: https://www.reddit.com/r/ItEndsWithLawsuits/comments/1t4q7q3/comment/ok4va9q/

⧟

Transcript is published here: https://penpres.com/article/cleaned-transcript-of-the-billy-bush-interview-with-bryan-freedman-re-baldoni-v-lively-settlement-on-hot-mics

⧟

And here is the summary/salient points 

https://preview.redd.it/gw60gag08ezg1.png?width=3600&format=png&auto=webp&s=7682d6529ac4fb2190d535543f30e9f8aec3da45

 

1. The settlement is NOT finalized
Freedman's position: "You have a statement, you have an intention to have an agreement, but you don't have an agreement."

There’s a public statement and an intention to settle, but no signed agreement yet. Major conceptual points have been agreed upon, but "the devil is in the details." Until the court docket removes the trial date and Daubert motions, nothing is officially done.

 ⧜

2. It happened extremely fast
According to Freedman, unproductive intermediate discussions had been going on for a while. But, "deeper discussions" began over the weekend (Saturday/Sunday). The entire process from opening to statement took roughly 1 to 1.5 days.

He describes an opening that appeared: "Sometimes when you get an opening that's too good to be true, you take that opening."

 ⧜

3. Blake attending the Met Gala 
Blake Lively appeared on the Met Gala red carpet just 2 hours after the settlement announcement. Billy suggests the settlement was rushed to clear the way for her appearance. Freedman claims he was unaware of any connection to the Met Gala, though he concedes maybe it did.

 ⧜

4. What may have triggered the settlement
Billy leans into the belief that Blake’s 180 seems to be largely driven by Ange Giannetti’s texts being unsealed which kinda tells us that what Freedman had said about Blake wanting Taylor Swift to delete texts was true all along. 

Reminder: Ange texted Josh Slime Greenstein saying, "Blake wants us to destroy the dailies. First time I've ever been asked to do this—destroy dailies in a movie with no nudity, but OK." This directly contradicts Blake's deposition testimony that she never tampered with or destroyed dailies.

And Freedman had previously stated a year ago that Blake demanded Taylor Swift delete her text messages, which is a second potential instance of evidence destruction.

Freedman of course won't say Blake gave in but acknowledges there was a willingness on her part to consider settlement.

 ⧜

5. The "All Survivors" language in the statement
The joint statement referenced "domestic violence survivors and all survivors." Billy thinks Blake and her folks were the ones that inserted the "all survivors" into the statement, as a veiled reference to her SH claims even though they’ve been thrown out by the court since MSJ ruling. Freedman, of course, declines to discuss specific terms but doesn't dispute the reading.

 ⧜

6. Justin Baldoni's emotional state
The ordeal has taken a toll on Justin, his family, and domestic violence survivors. He is eager to tell his story, not through constrained courtroom testimony, but freely. And we cannot wait for it. After he decompresses and heals first. Freedman emphasizes the human cost of the case: having his address published online, being confronted in airports, powerful people "plotting against you through emails and text messages that exist" have been things Justin has had to deal with. 

To every content creator, sleuth and Redditor (yes, I am including this sub too), who supported the Wayfarer Parties, it deeply touched Justin’s heart and gave him a little bit of wholeness. Never let them tell you, your little bit does not matter. 

They credit independent content creators and social media for carrying the truth when mainstream media appeared to favor Blake.

Zach Peter, Kriestja Flaa, Andy/Popcorn Planet, Dana Bowling, Without a Crystal Ball, and Elsie were specially mentioned and given a shout out. Freedman notes many were subpoenaed at personal cost but fought for what's right at their great expense.

  ⧜

7. The Stephanie Jones vs. Melissa Nathan/Jenn Abel case continues
This separate lawsuit between publicists is NOT settling and appears headed to trial. It’s more bitter and will be a vigorous, hard-fought case. Both Blake and Justin could potentially be deposed in that case, and end up testifying under oath despite their own settlement.

I think this fits nicely into my read that Blake will be throwing Stephanie Jones under the bus hugely, as part of the settlement. And frankly I do like it for Stephanie Jones. Because fuck her terrible self!

  ⧜

8. The smear sites allegation 
Stephanie Jones alleges Melissa Nathan and Jed Wallace created websites to smear her. Freedman says, "I'm unaware of Melissa Nathan having the capacity, frankly, to form a website." 

It calls it "hardly secret agent stuff," notes no one has claimed the information was false. "If a website just promotes the truth or something that isn't a lie, then it's not a smear." And he also points to Signal messages showing WPs barely knew how to post content online.

He expresses sympathy for Jenn Abel, Melissa Nathan, and Jed Wallace being dragged unnecessarily through this.

 ⧜

9. Freedman's philosophical take on litigation
He gives a monologue about how lawsuits rarely provide satisfaction. "Rarely do you see, 'OK, gee, I got back everything I put out, everything is now clarified.' You don't get that at the end of a lawsuit." People in litigation should visit the Children's Hospital for perspective.

Billy jokes that Freedman sounds ready to retire or has been spending too much time with Justin in a yurt.

  ⧜

10. Did Justin get paid?
Billy speculates Ryan Reynolds is "paying a lot of money" for the settlement. Freedman cannot confirm whether Justin was paid as terms are confidential. Billy says it would be in everyone's interest for Reynolds to also fund a settlement of the Jones/Nathan/Abel case to make everything go away.

 

⤙❅⥟

In conclusion, yesterday's statement is for now a public statement of intent, but is not yet a signed legal agreement. The deal came together in roughly 24-36 hours over the weekend, most likely driven by how damaging the text that Blake had asked Sony to destroy the  dailies and how that undermines her deposition testimony. 

https://reddit.com/link/1t4q7q3/video/3as77gohddzg1/player

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https://reddit.com/link/1t4q7q3/video/dfohfrliddzg1/player

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https://reddit.com/link/1t4q7q3/video/c5ghp94lddzg1/player

Transcript and summary coming soon.

The interweb is buzzing and thanks to TVMovieAddict on Twitter, I was able to pull the tea, shared below. You can view her https://xcancel.com/TVMovieAddict and https://xcancel.com/TVMovieAddict/status/2051568750537642470#m (you don't have to sign into Twitter — I refuse to use the other name — to be able to read the tweets and comments.

Edit to add cause you know her b⁍ts be spinning. First, to attend the Met Gala you must be invited. She apparently wasn't, and had to scramble to get a ticket. Second, celebrities don't typically buy their own tickets. Instead, designers and brands purchase entire tables and invite guests. This year, nobody wanted to sponsor her or offer her a seat at their table. So she bought her own ticket. 🤦🏾‍♀️🤦🏿‍♀️🤦🏾‍♀️ Yikes!

https://preview.redd.it/yjf0b9wm1czg1.jpg?width=1169&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=33bf56ca4dbe0afc70f51b7fba1704ed63c93d44

https://preview.redd.it/7ilwl9ln1czg1.jpg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=97f70cfa72c3b28ffb6c85a265ec50a9c2da2f23

https://preview.redd.it/c44gw2yc2czg1.png?width=1228&format=png&auto=webp&s=4a1db5be60545a24332bf35d50f47ef41f98b845

https://preview.redd.it/amuuy1td2czg1.png?width=1216&format=png&auto=webp&s=70da1133fa4100b342a192495f12693d65535c0e

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https://preview.redd.it/gs8644u23czg1.png?width=1786&format=png&auto=webp&s=999a5d93d404c6beb73a4d878e5041307e27e939

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She struggled up the stairs last night as the ushers didn't want to help until it became obvious she was holding the line.

https://reddit.com/link/1t4ijc6/video/eetgacwr2czg1/player

https://preview.redd.it/12s0n47w2czg1.png?width=1230&format=png&auto=webp&s=a442cb95e2e1af6cf24ab3947fefd063e20d2d9d

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https://preview.redd.it/oh7bu0ff3czg1.png?width=1208&format=png&auto=webp&s=9e4fafe5ba1cc91a1f6126e55fad80e26c0b12c9

https://preview.redd.it/rtz221ff3czg1.png?width=1210&format=png&auto=webp&s=39833835f53a770a7b547771b0dd06cd9a48e7af

https://preview.redd.it/61xx71ff3czg1.png?width=1208&format=png&auto=webp&s=f7ab6d20bfa60ee04eeebec4b6293ce5827dfcee

https://preview.redd.it/a1vl61ff3czg1.png?width=1200&format=png&auto=webp&s=ab1324141634a3689cd992e584cb01b2266b2de5

https://preview.redd.it/8xm0u3ff3czg1.png?width=1216&format=png&auto=webp&s=a07970b7b69f32f0259fcd0d0861275a6fa5c850

https://preview.redd.it/8jryi1ff3czg1.png?width=1204&format=png&auto=webp&s=1dbce87fe7d88ad4b9935afb416864e74cc16f15

https://preview.redd.it/pdga96jf3czg1.png?width=1210&format=png&auto=webp&s=c4460b920a70d20b076a00c7d79abb8cddea54ec

https://preview.redd.it/zl3uy1ff3czg1.png?width=1216&format=png&auto=webp&s=8ee688af52d0fe220b6355f5111d71192a4b7302

https://preview.redd.it/2v1we1ff3czg1.png?width=1208&format=png&auto=webp&s=3a528796088a42199a95baac01d9c1c890c441b0

https://preview.redd.it/wcmrj1ff3czg1.png?width=1204&format=png&auto=webp&s=bed1b8c349a1ac09ed8aebfbeda5cc91bc7e7f4b

https://preview.redd.it/gpe0nslg3czg1.png?width=1222&format=png&auto=webp&s=694b8211118f542dffb1771424e8476f87472a77

https://preview.redd.it/du7x5slg3czg1.png?width=1212&format=png&auto=webp&s=690eb30eddae58a08eaea50e52ec8160e5d586ab

❅❄︎❅

Remember: we, the public, CAN and should continue to hold Blake Lively accountable. We held her accountable during her tone-deaf IEWU press tour; we held her accountable over these last sixteen months as we combed through filings and evidence and exposed her as the liar she is. We, the public, are a significant part of why her lawsuit failed. So we will continue to hold her accountable until she comes clean, takes responsibility, and makes restitution.

Blake is a tone-deaf person who never listens and instead mistakes her delusions for reality. She believes she can rehabilitate herself and slide back into the carefully constructed image she had before 2023. It's her right to believe such delusions. But we know better. Traditional media may choose to bow to ulterior motives and suppress/strangle the truth — but the truth is a light you cannot hide for long. It burns bright and always burns through the bushel.

So continue holding strong. Keep calling out her lies and delusions. Keep holding her accountable. She harmed the public and the Wayfarer Parties (real people), and she does not get to wipe the slate clean with dead eyes and a practiced but very creepy smile.

I'm going to try to keep this brief because I'm vibrating, and I fear that if I fully unload, it would just be hours of uninterrupted cursing. So, let's keep it brief and cute. Here is the fuckery that is Alex Saks. 

Source: Alex Saks's own mouth, at her deposition.

⧟

1. Her grievance with Wayfarer is that she was no longer the only producer on IEWU.

I fucking kid you not. She opened her mouth and said Justin sidelined her because she was originally supposed to be the sole producer, apart from Colleen Hoover.

https://preview.redd.it/fmr6kknw39zg1.png?width=1534&format=png&auto=webp&s=7578f9da8a18b9feb1e62aa56814035be0c84f3a

In what universe is an independent producer meant to be the only producer on a film co-financed by Sony and Wayfarer? In what universe does a movie like that have just one producer? She's a moron.

Also Colleen Hoover was an Executive Producer. So, dumb dumb think there would be just one Producer — her, and one Executive Producer.

This is insane that I actually until this minute thought she was talking about Christy Hall. Because what Alex says here does not compute. Whether she is talking about Christy Hall or Colleen Hoover here, her statement is bonkers.

 

⧟

2. According to Alex Saks, Christy Hall was upset because Justin dismissed her desire to direct.

https://preview.redd.it/j7txcmv949zg1.png?width=1564&format=png&auto=webp&s=277a11e357bab0429f5d6e585dfee8e2792c36d2

Before I go further: it's important to note that Alex fucking Saks told Ange this on June 15th, 2024, the day after the dinner that capped the Book Bonanza takeover.

https://preview.redd.it/6s03geru49zg1.png?width=1886&format=png&auto=webp&s=a3f602c136735b2d2b57a5a4b168956348120323

She says Justin was dismissive and used Jamey to try to manipulate Christy. Manipulate. Isn't that something?

So, they dismissed her desire to direct. And it can only be sexism. Please, let's not let logic get in the way of a woman who has apparently decided to embody every tired stereotype people use against women. No no, it must be sexism. Because again why else would Justin include Christy Hall in dinner conversations with Colleen Hoover?

https://preview.redd.it/lsz5jlcc69zg1.png?width=1590&format=png&auto=webp&s=cb5cedc2d32026abf0038941346c0f7252259f7c

https://preview.redd.it/tcktmlcc69zg1.png?width=1588&format=png&auto=webp&s=e97f113f8b14c1ce031454895da09ac93fc43bd4

Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Justin is terrible for not letting Christy Hall direct, even though she wasn't hired for such a task and the film already had a director. Did these women think they were making a series where you can just swap directors between episodes? But also do note that Justin is also apparently a terrible, terrible person for including Christy Hall in conversations and dinners with the author.

To be clear: he included the scriptwriter in conversations with the writer of the book they were adapting. Somehow, that is the misogynistic act that feminism must rise up against.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why Christy Hall wants nothing to do with Wayfarer. I'll leave it to you to decide whether Alex Saks is a credible narrator.

I hate it here.

 

❁※❅

With this latest unsealing, Blake's trial strategy is on full display. Her entire argument was going to be: "Dear jury, these people are mean because they are men, and as men they are mean to women. Never mind that I have no evidence, you must rule in my favor, because surely they are fake feminists."

And somehow, neither she nor Alex horrible Saks nor Colleen Hoover ever stopped to listen to themselves and notice how they sounded.

I cannot believe that in 2026 we are having to argue that women are not like this. We are not like this. These ones just be crazy.

Source: https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304/gov.uscourts.nysd.634304.1431.35.pdf