Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal teams faced off in a New York court for the first time since the stars sued each other. The judge wasn’t happy! He warned both sides to stop their fiery media war before it taints the jury.
Lively, 37, claims Baldoni, 41, sexually harassed her on the set of It Ends With Us. She also accuses him of launching a brutal smear campaign when she spoke out. Baldoni fired back with a massive $400 million lawsuit, accusing Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist of spreading lies to take control of the film.
PR blitz under fire!
The drama isn’t just in court—it’s everywhere! Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has been aggressively defending his client in the press. He even released a 10-minute set video to counter Lively’s claims and announced a website to support Baldoni’s case. Lively’s team hit back hard, demanding the judge rein in Freedman before his tactics sway the jury.
Judge issues stern warning!
On Feb. 3, during a pretrial conference, Judge Lewis Liman had enough. He threatened to speed up the trial if the legal teams didn’t stop the PR war. He also reminded everyone of New York’s strict legal rules against biased public statements.
Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, were pleased. “This case is about serious allegations of harassment and retaliation. We are confident Ms. Lively will prevail,” they stated.
Freedman was unfazed. “I couldn’t be more pleased. We’ll prove our innocence as quickly as possible,” he told reporters.
Explosive lawsuits & Hollywood scandal!
The battle began in December when Lively filed her lawsuit, accusing Baldoni and his colleagues at Wayfarer Studios of misconduct. Then, on Jan. 16, Baldoni hit back with his defamation suit.
The situation escalated when Baldoni’s legal team accused Lively of leaking her complaint to The New York Times. Baldoni even sued the newspaper for publishing the claims in December.
Lively’s side fired another shot in court, calling Freedman’s media blitz a “threat to the integrity of the case.” In response, Baldoni’s attorney Kevin Fritz called it an “intimidation tactic” and opposed any gag order.
The Hollywood battle is far from over! With a trial set for March 2026, expect more twists, turns, and bombshell revelations. Stay tuned for the latest updates on this shocking legal feud!
