Justin Baldoni Advocates for Disclosure of Steve Sarowitz's '2 Dead Bodies' Comment

Blake Lively's legal team underscores the significance of a surreptitiously recorded audio from 2024, which they argue is pivotal evidence in a retaliation case. In this recording, Steve Sarowitz, a studio executive, allegedly states that 'there will be two dead bodies' if either Blake Lively or her husband, Ryan Reynolds, oversteps their boundaries.

Up until now, the transcript—a crucial piece of evidence in the protracted legal battle over the 2024 blockbuster "It Ends With Us"—remains sealed at Lively's behest.

Yet on Thursday, those opposing Lively in her ongoing lawsuit involving co-star Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and Sarowitz, appeared before a Manhattan judge requesting the unsealing and public release of the transcript.

The defendants' attorneys argue that Sarowitz's entire comments, beyond just what Lively's side refers to as the 'dead bodies threat,' need to be made public for the sake of transparency.

Reactions from Lively's camp, Sarowitz, Wayfarer, and Baldoni to the filing were not immediate, but the filing posits that Sarowitz deserves to have the complete recording shared to ensure its context and accuracy.

The discussion points emerged on September 9, connected to a parallel lawsuit where Lively is pursuing financial recovery—encompassing legal expenses and punitive damages—following a Baldoni defamation countersuit dismissed earlier in June.

According to Lively's account, Sarowitz had initiated a meeting in August 2024 with an unnamed witness, described as someone collaborating with Wayfarer on an unrelated project to 'It Ends With Us.'

During this gathering, the witness clandestinely recorded Sarowitz asserting that 'if Ms. Lively or Mr. Reynolds ever cross the line, I will pursue them,' as portrayed by Lively's legal representatives.

Sarowitz is quoted as saying, 'I will defend the studio as fiercely as Israel defended itself against Hamas,' in reference to minimizing risk. Noteworthy is his subsequent remark, 'There were 39,000 dead bodies. There'll be two dead bodies when I'm finished.'

'At the least. Not literally dead, but as 'dead to me'—dead in a sense that matters to those around them,' the executive continued.

Further Developments in the Case

Identified as a co-founder and benefactor of Wayfarer, Sarowitz—whom Lively's attorneys portray as a 'multimillionaire'—pledged extensive expenditure to safeguard the studio's interests.

This conversation forms a critical element of Lively's December 2024 litigation, which accuses the Baldoni group of plotting retaliation against her for lodging complaints about sexual harassment on set, as Lively’s representatives discuss.

Yet, Lively’s team contends that the identity of the witness who captured the call must remain confidential, alongside the call transcript and documents that quote directly from the witness or detail the call’s context.

Baldoni’s representatives have only conceded to keeping the witness’s name and specifics of the project they worked on hidden.

Over the rest of the transcript, the opposing parties insist on its publication, citing the First Amendment and existing legal precedents supporting the public's right to access judicial documents.

Sarowitz’s advocates defend that any expectation of privacy is his alone, noting he was recorded without awareness, arguing for the entire audio release instead of Lively's alleged misconstrued extract.

The legal proceedings see US District Judge Lewis Liman, located in Manhattan, scheduling a jury trial for March 2026 for the Lively versus Baldoni case, though he has not yet resolved the motion concerning the unsealing of Sarowitz’s comments.