A New York judge has set 9 March 2026 as the trial date for the escalating legal dispute between It Ends With Us stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
The court has also moved an initial conference from mid-February to next week to address pretrial publicity and legal conduct on both sides.
The feud revolves around lawsuits filed by both actors. Lively has accused Baldoni, his production company, and others of sexual harassment and damaging her reputation. Baldoni has countersued, alleging defamation and extortion by Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. Baldoni is seeking at least $400 million in damages, citing significant professional and personal harm.
Lively's lawyers claim Baldoni’s legal team has conducted a public campaign to harm her reputation. They accuse Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, of releasing selective documents and communications to sway potential jurors. "The endless stream of defamatory and extrajudicial media statements must end," Lively’s legal team said in court filings.
Freedman denied the accusations, stating: "Ms Lively is so petrified of the truth that she has moved to gag it. We will always respect the court; however, we will never be bullied into silence. The public deserves to see evidence that directly contradicts her allegations."
Separately, Lively has filed for a deposition in Texas from Jed Wallace, a crisis management specialist she alleges manipulated online sentiment against her during the film’s release. She claims Wallace, hired by Baldoni’s team, used platforms like Reddit and TikTok to spread disparaging content. Wallace is not a defendant and has not publicly commented.
Baldoni’s legal team has accused Lively of a "scorched-earth media campaign," which they say has unfairly vilified him and others, causing financial and reputational damage. In a letter to the court, Baldoni’s lawyer Kevin Fritz argued the campaign has left his client "the object of public scorn and contempt".
Judge Lewis J. Liman has indicated that the lawsuits will likely be combined for trial.
It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, was released last August and exceeded expectations with a $50 million opening. However, the release was overshadowed by speculation of discord between its stars.
Source: Press Association
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