Blake Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC, et al.

Analysis Group was retained on behalf of actress Blake Lively in litigation against Wayfarer Studios, director and actor Justin Baldoni, and other entities associated with the production of the motion picture It Ends With Us. Following a dispute between Ms. Lively and Mr. Baldoni during production, Ms. Lively alleged that Mr. Baldoni seeded a retaliatory social media campaign against her, damaging her reputation and businesses.

An Analysis Group team led by Principal Laura O’Laughlin, Director of Data Science Upamanyu Pathare, and Manager Marimer Guevara supported academic affiliate Dina Mayzlin, who evaluated the alleged manipulation of online conversations and assessed potential impacts on Ms. Lively’s brands. Professor Mayzlin conducted a large language model (LLM)–driven thematic and sentiment analysis of online posts about Ms. Lively from social media and online forums. She testified at deposition that changes in online sentiment, thematic content, and irregular volume of online conversations coincided with the timing of the alleged conduct and with observed trends in brand performance.

The parties settled the matter prior to trial. Coverage of the settlement by The New York Times noted the that the trial had been “widely anticipated” in part because it “presented a test case for accusations of online manipulation at a time when the courts are only beginning to come to grips with the ways people’s reputations can be shaped by the internet.”