Blake Lively Hits Back at Justin Baldoni's Claim Actress Is Purposely Delaying Case — As 'It Ends With Us' Co-Stars Battle $400M Defamation Lawsuit In Courtroom
Lawyers for Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively met for the first time in court.
Feb. 3 2025, Published 7:30 p.m. ET
Attorneys representing Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in their "he said, she said" sexual harassment trial have been ordered to keep their client's bickering out of the public eye, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
If not, the judge in the case has threatened to move the trial up in date, instead of waiting until March of next year to settle it.
Lively filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her co-star and director Baldoni.
Lawyers for both sides met for the first time in court Monday, where United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Lewis Liman warned each not to engage in a public relations war outside the courthouse.
Judge Liman also cautioned against continuing to release statements or opinions that could taint a prospective jury pool.
Lively, 37, is accusing her It Ends With Us costar and director Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment on the set of their film. Baldoni countered with defamation lawsuits against her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400million dollars.
Lively and Baldoni have been in a war of words over their scenes in the film.
The former Gossip Girl star and her Green Lantern husband had already asked for a protective order that would stop Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, from talking or sharing potential evidence with the media.
A letter from Lively's side to the judge argued: "As Ms. Lively’s counsel have attempted, repeatedly, to caution Mr. Freedman, federal litigation must be conducted in court and according to the relevant rules of professional conduct."
The note further alleges that Freedman’s statements have been "deliberately aimed at undermining the 'character, credibility, (and) reputation' of numerous relevant parties."
But friends close to the embattled actor say that's "grossly unfair" and a cruel double standard, arguing all that Freedman is doing is defending his client from Lively’s "takedown campaign."
Baldoni filed a $400million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Lively's attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement after the hearing: "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."
Freedman also claimed victory today, telling reporters outside court: "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."
Lively and Reynolds contest that Baldoni has tried to end her career.
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Since coming on as Baldoni's attorney, Freedman has been highly visible on television interviews and podcasts, issued inflammatory statements, and leaked information to the press."
For instance, as RadarOnline.com previously reported, Freedman released unseen footage of the dance scene in which Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment.
In the midst of the co-stars' ongoing legal battle, the actor's team unleashed almost 10 minutes of raw footage – which included a seductive slow-dancing scene between the two.
In her lawsuit, Lively cited this exact moment, accusing Baldoni of making indecent comments about the scent she was wearing and kissing her neck.
With both actors mic'd up, the footage showed no inappropriate behavior on Baldoni's end, leaving his team to insist the video entirely debunked her sexual harassment allegations.
Lively claimed Baldoni moved his lips down her neck and told her "it smells so good," which was debunked at the seven-minute mark.
Their conversation at that point clarified Baldoni's comment about Lively smelling good was in response to her mentioning her spray tan during the romantic dance scene.
Baldoni teased about his beard rubbing off on Lively, and she countered by saying she was likely getting spray tan on him.
He then joked, "It smells good," and they both laughed, with Lively clarifying that the scent was most likely from her body makeup.
In Lively's complaint, she claimed: "None of this was remotely in character, or based on any dialogue in the script, and nothing needed to be said because, again, there was no sound."
