A judge has warned Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s lawyers to stop publicly discussing their competing lawsuits.
Both actors – who co-starred in 2024’s It Ends With Us – have filed lawsuits against each other following an initial legal complaint from Lively.
The 37-year-old accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the film – and an alleged subsequent plan to damage her reputation.
Baldoni then sued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of hijacking both the production and marketing of the film, as well as allegedly attempting to smear him and others who worked on the production through false allegations.
New York district court judge Lewis J Liman has scheduled a trial date combining the two claims for March 2026 – but warned both parties on Monday that their comments to the media could impact their cases.
Lively’s lawyer Michael Gottlieb complained that Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman violated professional ethics rules for lawyers by accusing the actress of “bullying” in People magazine.
He told a hearing at Manhattan federal court that “it’s very hard to un-ring the bell” and argued such statements could taint a jury pool.
But Mr Freedman complained “this has not been a one-way street”, and claimed his comments to the magazine and on a podcast were a response to a New York Times article from 21 December that “completely devastated” Baldoni.
Judge Liman has now adopted a state rule barring most out-of-court statements that could affect a case’s outcome – with an exception to protect clients from prejudicial adverse publicity. Neither lawyer objected.
Lively’s legal team have previously accused Mr Freedman in a court filing of trying to influence potential jurors by creating a website to release selected documents and communications between her and Baldoni.
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In late December, Lively sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others in New York for sexual harassment and attacks on her reputation, asking for unspecified damages.
Baldoni then filed his lawsuit in January, accusing Lively and her husband, Deadpool star and Wrexham FC co-owner Reynolds, of defamation and extortion. He is seeking at least $400m (£321m) in damages.
The actor also sued The New York Times newspaper for libel after it published allegations about him.
Lively starred in the 2005 film The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants before rising to fame in the TV series Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012. She is also known for films including The Town and The Shallows.
Baldoni is known for the TV comedy series Jane The Virgin and for directing the 2019 film Five Feet Apart. He also wrote Man Enough – a book pushing back against traditional notions of masculinity.
Content Source: news.sky.com