Legal expert Rachael Bennett is breaking down exactly why Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s text messages were released as their It Ends With Us legal battle continues
“We see that, commonly, the court will seal records that don’t necessarily have much relevancy to the case,” Bennett, senior lawyer at Sullivan Law & Associates, told Us Weekly exclusively. “Maybe, that relevancy is being argued in preliminary trial hearings.”
Bennett explained that separate rulings were previously made “about sealing the record of the case and sealing some documents because they carried public weight.” For Lively, 38, this included correspondence with A-listers like Taylor Swift (
Life of a Showgirl), Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
However, Bennett told Us that “the public does have a right to see these court proceedings and see the evidence that the court is considering and making its ruling,” which would include aforementioned messages.
Legal expert Rachael Bennett is breaking down exactly why Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s text messages were released as their It Ends With Us legal battle continues
“We see that, commonly, the court will seal records that don’t necessarily have much relevancy to the case,” Bennett, senior lawyer at Sullivan Law & Associates, told Us Weekly exclusively. “Maybe, that relevancy is being argued in preliminary trial hearings.”
Bennett explained that separate rulings were previously made “about sealing the record of the case and sealing some documents because they carried public weight.” For Lively, 38, this included correspondence with A-listers like Taylor Swift ( Life of a Showgirl), Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
However, Bennett told Us that “the public does have a right to see these court proceedings and see the evidence that the court is considering and making its ruling,” which would include aforementioned messages.
Bennett explained that documents including “very big names” are often sealed because “their comments could be used” in a way that “could impact their own reputation.”
More than 180 documents were unsealed on Tuesday, January 20, amid Lively’s legal battle with Baldoni, 41, meaning the public could finally see several messages exchanged between Lively and her famous friends.
“As we get closer to trial, the parties are very strategically trying to either keep those records sealed or have them unsealed,” Bennett explained. “There was a motion to unseal the records related to, especially, those text messages with Blake and Taylor.”
The motion was granted and “those records are now starting to flood in.” Bennett speculated that the conversations between Lively and Swift, 36, “could impact, really, the evidentiary position” of the Gossip Girl alum’s case.
Lively filed her initial complaint against Baldoni in late 2024, alleging to the California Civil Rights Department that he fostered a “hostile work environment” on the It Ends With Us film set. She subsequently sued Baldoni for sexual harassment, among other claims, which he has since denied.
Baldoni filed his own countersuit, which was dismissed in June 2025. Lively and Baldoni are scheduled to face off in court this spring.
“I do think anytime the court unseals records, there’s a reason why somebody wanted them sealed in the first place,” Bennett explained to Us, noting that Lively “has every interest in trying to protect the privacy and the social ramifications for all of her famous friends that were pulled into this.”
However, Bennett alluded that anything can be relevant because of the nature of Lively’s claims.
“Really, we’re talking about impact on somebody for alleging sexual harassment or hostile work environment,” Bennett explained. “The impact to her and her frame of mind and how she was speaking about it is really relevant here.”
She added, “I haven’t seen anything so far that, in my opinion, undermines the public shaming claim. But we’ll see how it plays out.”
