Over the weekend, Justin Baldoni and his lawyers launched the much-anticipated website. For weeks, they’d promised to publish all of the communications between Baldoni and Blake Lively, and relevant communications around the film. I have not gone through all of the documentation Baldoni has provided, but I’ve seen the coverage – lots of texts from Blake which definitely chip away at her claims that Baldoni was being overly familiar or inappropriately flirty with her. Baldoni also included at least one text from Ryan Reynolds. You can see the website here.
On Monday, Blake’s lawyers and Baldoni’s lawyers were in court for another hearing. Top of Blake’s agenda was getting a gag order on Baldoni and his lawyers. She didn’t get that, but the judge did warn both sides to stop with the pre-trial PR war, and the judge also threatened to expedite the trial if both sides didn’t shut up.
A New York judge cautioned Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s lawyers not to litigate their legal battle in the press as the two sides faced off in court for the first time since their clients sued each other. Lively, 37, is accusing her It Ends With Us costar and director Baldoni, 41, and others of damaging her reputation in the press after she reported sexual harassment on set. In turn, Baldoni has filed defamation lawsuits against her, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times. His lawyer, Bryan Freedman, is also running a PR campaign to fight back against her claims.
Lively’s lawyers attempted to limit Freedman, asking the judge to stop him from speaking to the press in ways that could influence the jury. They also expressed worries about a website Baldoni and his team recently launched in an apparent attempt to bolster his accusations against Lively.
At the Monday, Feb. 3 pretrial conference at United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Lewis Liman addressed the issue. He threatened to expedite the trial if the parties do not rein in the public relations war outside the courtroom. The judge also instructed both parties to comply with the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibit attorneys from making comments that could have a “substantial likelihood” of biasing a jury.
Freedman said his “clients are devastated financially and emotionally.” The It Ends With Us actors are preparing to head to trial in March 2026.
Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, attorneys for Lively, said in a statement, “We are pleased with the result of today’s hearing and eager to move forward immediately with discovery in this case. The court granted our request that all attorneys in the matter actually follow the rule of law and not make any statements that could prejudice a jury,” they continued. “This case deals with serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. We will hold the defendants accountable, and we are confident that once all the evidence is submitted in this matter, Ms. Lively will prevail.”
Freedman told reporters outside court, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “I couldn’t be more pleased with how the case was handled today. We’re going to move as quickly as possible and prove our innocence.”
Blake’s side is trying to put a happy face on the fact that they didn’t get what they wanted, a gag order on Baldoni and his lawyers. They also didn’t get Baldoni’s website shut down, although who knows, that might work in their favor (it doesn’t seem like many people are willing to dive into all of the documentation and annotated legal filings). To celebrate the lack of gag orders on either side, Blake’s team ran to People Magazine with another exclusive. A “source close to Lively” told People that “Blake is surprisingly calm and just tries to focus on family life. She’s in constant contact with her team. She sees the whole lawsuit drama as a necessary bump, but she’s not letting it take away from her main focus, which is her children.”
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.