‘It Ends With Us’ co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s ongoing feud is going to trial. As reported by Variety, the first hearing is scheduled for March 9, 2026. On Monday, Judge Lewis J. Liman said that he would hold an initial hearing on February 3. The hearing will address Lively’s suit against ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star and director Justin Baldoni and his subsequent countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Blake Lively’s attorney accuses Baldoni of trying to manipulate jurors
Lively’s legal team has accused Baldoni’s attorney of trying to sway potential jurors. They allege that Baldoni is trying to do so by creating a website that shares selective documents and communications. Lively’s team claimed the website aims to damage her reputation. Her team stated, “The endless stream of defamatory and extrajudicial media statements must end.”
Baldoni’s lawyers deny the claim
In response to the accusations, Baldoni’s lawyer, Kevin Fritz has dismissed them. He states that Lively is avoiding transparency. He argued, “We will never be bullied… All we want is for people to see the actual text messages and video evidence that directly refute her claims.” Moreover, he accuses Blake Lively of a “scorched-earth media campaign” that allegedly caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages by vilifying Baldoni publicly.
Blake Lively’s initial lawsuit
Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and fat-shaming. Moreover, she accuses him of orchestrating a smear campaign against her after she called out his behaviour on sets. Following this, WME dropped Baldoni as a client and his former publicist also sued him. Following this, Baldoni sued The New York Times for posting an elaborate article detailing Lively’s accusations.
Justin Baldoni’s countersuit
Following his suit against the New York Times, ‘It Ends With Us’ director and actor Justin Baldoni sues co-star Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million. Moreover, he drags Taylor Swift into the case by claiming that Lively leveraged her friendship with the global icon to pressure him. Baldoni’s countersuit comes after Lively sued him for sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her after she called his behaviour on set. In his suit, the actor sues Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist for damages, citing civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy.
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Moreover, before his countersuit, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman sent a litigation hold letter to Marvel president Kevin Feige, Disney CEO Bob Iger and director Tim Miller. The notice asks them to preserve all documents related to the ‘Deadpool and Wolverine’ character Nicepool and data connected to Baldoni. For context, Baldoni believes that Ryan Reynolds’ character Nicepool was a dig at him.