At a Glance
- Blake Lively has hired Sigrid McCawley, the lead attorney for Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, to join her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni
- McCawley will manage public communications as the case heads toward a May 2026 trial
- The move comes before a critical January hearing on Baldoni’s bid to dismiss parts of the case
Blake Lively has strengthened her legal team by adding high-profile attorney Sigrid McCawley, best known for representing Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, as her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni advances toward trial.
New Power Player Joins Legal Fight
McCawley, managing partner at Boies Schiller Flexner, will handle all public and media communications for Lively’s legal team. The actress, 38, is already represented by attorneys Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, who have been navigating months of discovery disputes and sealed court filings.
“It is a privilege to get to work with Blake Lively’s world class legal team on a case that at its core is about a woman who was subjected to a hostile work environment and is being attacked for standing up to protect herself and other female co-workers,” McCawley told News Of Los Angeles.
Gottlieb and Hudson expressed enthusiasm about McCawley’s addition, stating they “recruited Sigrid based on her many years of work speaking truth to power, including her courageous representation of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims.”
McCawley’s Track Record
The attorney gained national recognition for representing survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, including Virginia Giuffre. Her work helped expose Epstein’s abuse network and led to multiple high-profile settlements and criminal prosecutions.
McCawley also previously represented Leslie Sloane, Lively’s publicist, after Baldoni countersued her. That case was dismissed by Judge Liman in June 2025.
Critical Court Dates Ahead
The timing of McCawley’s involvement proves strategic. An upcoming hearing scheduled for January 22 will address Baldoni’s motion for summary judgment, which seeks dismissal of some or all of Lively’s claims before trial.
Additional depositions, text messages, and records are expected to be unsealed soon, potentially becoming central evidence in the legal battle. The trial, originally set for March, has been rescheduled to May 2026.
Lively Set to Testify
During a May 2025 court hearing, Gottlieb confirmed that Lively will take the stand at trial.
“Yes,” Gottlieb responded when asked if Lively would testify. “The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here [with Lively]. So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course she’s going to testify.”
Case Background
The legal dispute began in December 2024 when Lively sued Baldoni and others at Wayfarer Studios, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation related to her experience working on “It Ends With Us.” Baldoni denied these allegations.
Baldoni later filed a countersuit accusing Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 49, of defamation and extortion. A judge dismissed these claims.
Opposing Legal Teams
Baldoni’s legal team gained firepower in September when defense attorney Alexandra Shapiro joined. Shapiro has previously represented Sean “Diddy” Combs.
The case has generated significant media attention as both sides prepare for what promises to be a high-profile trial in the Southern District of New York.
