A federal judge presiding over the highly publicized legal battle between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over allegations of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us warned attorneys on Monday to adhere to court rules regarding public statements to ensure a fair trial.
Judge Lewis J. Liman suggested that if attorneys continued to make inflammatory public comments that could influence potential jurors, he might move the scheduled March 9, 2026, trial date forward.
Neither Lively nor Baldoni attended the Manhattan federal court hearing, where lawyers from both sides accused each other of unfair tactics.
Michael Gottlieb, representing Lively, criticized Baldoni’s legal team for making public statements that he claimed were damaging to his client. He emphasized that Lively was “very eager to move forward and have her day in court.”
Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni and his production company, countered that his clients had suffered “hundreds of millions of dollars in damages” due to Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment on set. He argued that it was Lively who escalated the dispute by taking her claims to the media, though he added, “I don’t want to say ‘they started it,’ but that’s what happened.”
Lively filed a lawsuit in December against Baldoni, his production company, and others, accusing them of sexual harassment and reputational harm, seeking unspecified damages. In response, Baldoni sued Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, last month, alleging defamation and extortion while seeking at least $400 million in damages.
It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance before delving into domestic violence, was released in August. Despite surpassing box office expectations with a $50 million debut, the film’s release was overshadowed by speculation about the alleged discord between Lively and Baldoni.
Lively rose to fame with her role in the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and later solidified her stardom with the TV series Gossip Girl (2007–2012). Her notable film credits include The Town and The Shallows.
Baldoni, best known for starring in the TV series Jane the Virgin, directed the 2019 film Five Feet Apart and authored Man Enough, a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.
Published – February 04, 2025 11:38 am IST
English cinema
/
celebrity
