Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni lawyers due in court ahead of ‘It Ends With Us’ trial
by Jack Queen
NEW YORK, April 28 (Reuters) – Lawyers for actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni will be on hand for a final hearing in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday ahead of a highly anticipated civil lawsuit stemming from allegations that Lively sexually assaulted Baldoni during the filming of her 2024 romantic drama “It Ends With Us.”
The civil lawsuit, scheduled to begin in May, will be limited to Lively’s claims of retaliation against Baldoni’s production company after a judge dismissed Baldoni’s sexual harassment claims. Both actors are expected to testify about Lively’s allegations after details continually emerged in bitter and widely publicized lawsuits that have dragged on for more than a year.
Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, vehemently denied Lively’s allegations, and Baldoni was dismissed as a defendant in U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman’s April 2 ruling dismissing Lively’s sexual harassment allegations.
Tuesday’s hearing will include legal arguments over potential damages and the admissibility of evidence at trial.
Lively, who is widely known for her role in the TV series “Gossip Girl”, accused Baldoni in his 2024 lawsuit of using his position as the director and lead actor of “It Ends With Us” to create a sexually charged atmosphere that marginalizes women, and then launching a smear campaign against her when she complained.
In December 2024, Baldoni sued Wayfarer and others for damages, alleging harassment, defamation, invasion of privacy, and violations of federal and state civil rights laws.
Baldoni, 42, disagreed, saying Lively resolved her concerns as soon as they were raised and that she had the right to hire a crisis management firm after Lively began publicly belittling her.
Lively and her husband filed a $400 million countersuit accusing Ryan Reynolds of trying to discredit her, but Liman dismissed the lawsuit in June.
(Reporting by Jack Queen in New York; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
