Danny Greenberg, the former agent of Justin Baldoni, seemingly drew a parallel between Blake Lively’s on-set conduct for It Ends With Us and extortion.
According to legal documents accessed by various media outlets on Monday, October 13, Greenberg, who represented Baldoni during the filming of the Colleen Hoover adaptation, stated in a deposition that Lively’s actions and pressure exerted on Baldoni and the studio felt like “extortion.” Greenberg alleged that Lively was making an “effort to gain control of the film.”
Greenberg later clarified that his intention was not to suggest that Lively was engaging in actual criminal extortion.
“My use of the word extortion there was referencing just cumulative behavior that both the studio and [production company Wayfarer Studios] and Justin was having to manage,” he stated during the deposition.
Greenberg also mentioned that he believed Lively issued threats concerning the August 2024 premiere of It Ends With Us. The talent manager asserted that he had discussions with Ange Giannetti, a Sony production executive, “about the behavior that Blake was displaying along the way” with regard to “the premiere issue.”
People reported that Warren Zavala, Lively’s talent agent, was also deposed on Monday, as per documents obtained by People. When questioned about his visit to the It Ends With Us set, Zavala reportedly stated that he was not “aware of any incidents that made Ms. Lively uncomfortable” and that “everything seemed to be going well.”
However, Zavala later claimed that Lively had informed him about “definitely issues” during the film’s post-production phase concerning her “interaction … with Justin and their collaboration in the final stages of post.”
Lively’s spokesperson criticized Greenberg’s comment and Baldoni’s choice to depose him in a statement to Us Weekly on Monday.
“The court already dismissed their so-called ‘taking over a movie’ claim, and this cherry-picked deposition quote from Baldoni’s prior agent before he was dropped from WME adds nothing new,” the statement read. “In fact, the court’s dismissal even assumed their allegations were true for the sake of argument — and still held that they don’t amount to a valid claim under the law. That’s what matters, because this is a legal process, not a click-bait one. This is just a recycled distraction that has nothing to do with the actual sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit Baldoni and the Wayfarer Defendants are facing.”
The legal disputes between Lively and Baldoni began in December 2024 when the actress accused her It Ends With Us costar and director of sexual harassment and initiating a supposed smear campaign against her.
Baldoni strongly refuted the accusations and filed a countersuit against Lively. Earlier this year, a judge dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit. Lively’s case is still in progress and is scheduled for March 2026.
“The court decision on the motion to dismiss has no effect whatsoever on the truth that there was no harassment nor any smear campaign, and it does not in any way affect our vigorous defense against Ms. Lively’s claims,” a Baldoni lawyer stated to Us in June. “Discovery is proceeding and we are confident that we will prevail against these factually baseless accusations. Instead of revising the existing claims, our clients will be pursuing additional legal options that are available to us.”
In July, Lively underwent a deposition by Baldoni’s legal team in New York City. Us previously reported on Baldoni’s presence during the deposition. Following the meeting, Lively’s lawyers communicated their satisfaction with the outcome and expressed anticipation for the upcoming stages of the case.
“We are very pleased with the outcome of her deposition, and now look forward to deposing Justin Baldoni and each of the codefendants in short order,” a spokesperson for Lively conveyed in a statement to Us at the time. “Deposition testimony is confidential for good reason — it’s evidence in a legal proceeding and is subject to objections and evidentiary rules. Juries aren’t just handed deposition transcripts to read at home, and instead they listen to testimony that is presented at trial under a judge’s supervision.”
Recently, Us exclusively procured a draft, lacking a signature, of Lively’s contract for It Ends With Us. The document indicated that Lively was slated to receive over $1.7 million for her involvement in the film. The contract also incorporated substantial bonuses for Lively dependent on box office success and potential nominations for awards such as an Academy Award, Golden Globe, or SAG Award.
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