A New York judge has scheduled a trial for March 2026, following the ongoing public dispute between Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni. The judge also rescheduled an initial conference that was originally set for mid-February to next week. The legal tensions between the two continue to escalate.
In a separate legal matter related to the film, which was a surprise hit last summer, Lively has filed a request in a Texas court for a deposition of a man she claims played a key role in turning public opinion against her during the movie’s release and promotional period.
The New York federal judge, Lewis J. Liman, issued an order on Monday directing both parties to prepare for the trial set for March 9, 2026. He also moved the initial conference up to next week, advising lawyers to be ready to address concerns about pretrial publicity and the conduct of attorneys.
Liman took these actions after Lively’s legal team argued in a filing on Monday that Baldoni’s attorney was attempting to influence potential jurors in the ongoing lawsuits between the actors. Lively’s lawyers accused Baldoni’s attorney of trying to damage her career by creating a website that would release selective documents and communications between Lively and Baldoni, with the intention of turning New York jurors against her.
Lively’s lawyers accused Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, of trying to influence the court proceedings and public opinion by launching an extrajudicial campaign. They argued that Freedman’s actions—such as releasing selected documents and communications—could taint the jury pool, and called for an end to what they described as a continuous stream of defamatory media statements.
In response, Freedman fired back, saying the “irony” of Lively’s move to suppress the truth was not lost on anyone. He stated that they would always respect the court but would not be intimidated by those who suggest they cannot defend their client with unaltered facts. Freedman emphasized that their goal was for the public to see the actual text messages, video evidence disproving claims of sexual harassment, and other evidence that directly contradicts Lively’s accusations.
In a letter to the judge on Thursday, Kevin Fritz, Baldoni’s attorney, accused Lively of orchestrating a publicity campaign that turned Baldoni and other defendants into targets of public backlash. He claimed that Lively’s actions had severely damaged those she sued, leaving them “exiled from polite society” and causing “hundreds of millions of dollars” in damages due to her aggressive media strategy.
In a separate filing in Hays County, Texas, which could lead to another lawsuit, Lively is seeking a deposition from Jed Wallace, a crisis management expert she alleges played a key role in manipulating social media sentiment during the film’s release. Lively claims Wallace, along with his firm Street Relations, helped sway public opinion against her through posts on Reddit and TikTok. According to the filing, Wallace and his firm were hired as subcontractors by publicists working with Baldoni and his production company.
Lively’s filing claims that Jed Wallace used a “digital army” across the country, including in New York and Los Angeles, to create, spread, and manipulate negative content that appeared authentic on social media and online forums. While Wallace is named in Lively’s federal lawsuit, he is not listed as a defendant.
Freedman, who is reportedly Wallace’s lawyer, did not respond to requests for comment.
In late December, Lively filed a lawsuit in New York against Baldoni, his production company, and others, accusing them of sexual harassment and damaging her reputation. She is seeking unspecified damages. Earlier this month, Baldoni filed a counterclaim, alleging defamation and extortion by Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, and is seeking at least $400 million in damages.
The judge indicated on Monday that he may combine the lawsuits for a single trial.
It Ends With Us, based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 bestselling novel, was released in August. The film, which begins as a romance before delving into domestic violence, performed unexpectedly well at the box office, earning $50 million in its debut. However, the movie’s release was overshadowed by speculation about tension between Lively and Baldoni.
Lively gained fame with her role in the 2005 film The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and solidified her stardom through the TV series Gossip Girl, which aired from 2007 to 2012. She has since appeared in films such as The Town and The Shallows.
Baldoni is best known for his role in the TV comedy Jane the Virgin. He also directed the 2019 film Five Feet Apart and authored the book Man Enough, which challenges traditional ideas of masculinity.
