Blake Lively is prioritising her family as she navigates the ongoing legal battle against It Ends with Us co-star Justin Baldoni. A source close to the actress told People magazine, “Blake is surprisingly calm and just tries to focus on family life. She’s in constant contact with her team. She sees the whole lawsuit drama as a necessary bump, but she’s not letting it take away from her main focus, which is her children.”
Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni in December, accusing him of inappropriate behaviour on the set of their film. In her lawsuit, she alleged that Baldoni engaged in “disturbing” and “unprofessional” conduct, creating a “hostile work environment.” She also claimed that he launched a retaliatory “smear campaign” to “destroy” her reputation.
Baldoni has countersued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation and extortion, demanding $400 million (£316 million) in damages. His legal team has also taken action against The New York Times over its coverage of Lively’s allegations.
On Monday, attorneys for both parties attended a pre-trial conference, where Lively’s legal team argued for a gag order to limit public discussion of the case. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, responded, “Not to sound like a 4-year-old fighting a 4-year-old with ‘they started it,’ but in these kinds of cases, once someone says something, it becomes fact: There’s no way to fight against it.” He added that Baldoni has been both emotionally and financially “devastated” by the legal dispute.
Following the hearing, New York Judge Lewis Liman issued an order instructing both sides to avoid making public statements that could influence the jury. The decision came after Baldoni’s legal team leaked footage from the It Ends with Us set and launched a website, thelawsuitinfo.com, which contained legal filings related to the case. “There will come a time, unless this case is settled, that a jury will speak,” the judge said.
Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, welcomed the ruling, stating, “We are pleased with the judge’s ruling.”
Both lawsuits are set to go to trial on 9 March 2026.
