"Totally rigged game against Justin Baldoni" — Candace Owens alleges Blake Lively is linked to the same legal team used by Ghislaine Maxwell’s father

As the legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively escalates, conservative commentator Candace Owens claimed that Lively is represented by the same lawsuit that once defended Robert Maxwell.

In the July 17 episode of Candace, Host Candace Owens cited a report published by Vanity Fair in 1992 about the death of Ghislaine Maxwell's father, Robert Maxwell, who was found guilty of assisting Jeffrey Epstein with child sex trafficking and is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida.

"Guess which law firm represented Robert Maxwell. This is per Vanity Fair's 1992. They did this long profile regarding the mystery of Robert Maxwell's death," Candace said.

According to Candace, the outlet's report stated that Robert Maxwell, who died on November 5, 1991, was represented by the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher, a firm also representing Blake Lively in her ongoing legal dispute with Justin Baldoni.

"It tells us in this article that Willkie Farr & Gallagher, if that name is sounding familiar to you, it's because they are currently the law firm that is representing Blake Lively. The article tells us that they represented Robert Maxwell, and they're now representing Ryan Reynolds in what the public is noticing might be a totally rigged game against Justin Baldoni, Owens added.

Robert Maxwell, who owned major publication groups such as Mirror Group Newspapers and the New York Daily News, has been the subject of several theories surrounding his death. However, an investigation concluded that he died of a heart attack followed by accidental drowning, per The Guardian.

Meanwhile, Candace Owens' comments followed the release of a two-page memo on July 7, 2025, by the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which concluded the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's death.

The memo stated that they found no "incriminating" client list or "credible evidence" of Epstein blackmailing anyone, adding that the investigators also "did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties," per the BBC.

For the unversed, Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy. He died the following month in his jail cell, which sparked many conspiracy theories about the circumstances of his death.

One popular conspiracy theory suggested that Epstein was murdered to protect high-profile individuals who were involved in his crimes. However, the DOJ and FBI released an 11-hour surveillance footage captured outside Epstein's cell, which claimed that he indeed died by suicide on August 10, 2019.

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Blake Lively's deposition rescheduled for the second time

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are seen on the set of "It Ends with Us" on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey (Image via Getty)

Blake Lively's deposition, originally set for July 17, has been moved to July 31. It will take place at a Manhattan location she chose, after Judge Lewis Liman approved her request on July 14, according to People Magazine.

The change came soon after her lawsuit against Jed Wallace, head of Street Relations, Inc., was dismissed.

The Another Simple Favor actress filed a lawsuit against Wallace in December 2024, accusing him of collaborating with Justin Baldoni's PR team to launch a smear campaign aimed at destroying her reputation.

Lively's lawsuit against Wallace states:

"[Wallace] weaponized a digital army around the country from New York to Los Angeles to create, seed and promote content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums."

However, on July 16, Judge Liman granted Wallace's motion to dismiss her lawsuit with prejudice, meaning either Blake Lively can file an amended complaint against Wallace until July 31 or sue him in a different jurisdiction, per the outlet.

Dismissing Lively's lawsuit against Wallace on jurisdictional grounds, Judge Liman stated:

"The Wallace Defendant’s motion to dismiss must be granted because the Court lacks personal jurisdiction over them. The alleged negative publicity campaign against Lively largely took place outside of New York.

Judge Liman continued:

The few alleged actions targeting New York were taken by others, and there are no allegations suggesting the Wallace Defendants were aware of them. Therefore, the Wallace Defendants cannot be forced to defend this lawsuit in New York."

The following day, in a statement to the outlet, Blake Lively's representative stated that they "respect" the court's decision regarding the dismissal of the lawsuit.

They added that the court decision has nothing to do with the merits of Lively's allegations against Jed Wallace's role in the smear campaign. Instead, it relates solely to the procedural question of whether Wallace is "subject to jurisdiction in New York or elsewhere."

"We currently are evaluating our numerous options for holding Mr. Wallace accountable for the pivotal role he served in the retaliatory effort that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties paid him at least tens of thousands of dollars a month to perform," they added.

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Blake Lively is set to face Justin Baldoni in court in March 2026.

Edited by Divya Singh