Attorneys for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni attended their first court hearing on Feb. 3 for the It Ends With Us drama — at which the judge vowed to move up the expected March 2026 trial date if the respective parties continued to litigate in the press — but that’s just one of several new developments in the case.
Attorneys for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni attended their first court hearing on Feb. 3 for the It Ends With Us drama — at which the judge vowed to move up the expected March 2026 trial date if the respective parties continued to litigate in the press — but that’s just one of several new developments in the case.
Over the weekend, Baldoni’s legal team filed an amended lawsuit against Lively, whom he’s suing for $400 million, along with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy. They also launched a website with documents related to the case.
Lively initiated the legal battle, first with a complaint and then a lawsuit, alleging that Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of the 2024 film, which was based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, and then launched a smear campaign against her when she spoke up. Baldoni directed the film and played Lively’s love interest.According to Deadline, the hearing, overseen by New York federal Judge Lewis J. Liman, centered around a potential gag order. Liman said if the matter continued to be “litigated in the press,” the March 2026 trial date would be moved up because the media attention could taint a jury pool.
Variety reported that the judge advised both sides to adhere to the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which block attorneys from making comments that could have a “substantial likelihood” of influencing a jury. The rule does, however, allow attorneys to talk to the press as far as protecting their clients from negative publicity.
Deadline reported that Liman said that Lively will not be deposed at the present time. The judge also said that Lively does not get to choose who deposes her.Lively’s lead attorney, Michael Gottlieb, said they were given no notice that Baldoni was adding the New York Times to his countersuit until it was reported by media outlets on Jan. 31. He said that Lively and Reynolds may be filing an amended complaint of their own, potentially with new claims.
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