A New York judge has cautioned Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s lawyers against using the media to fight their ongoing legal battle.
During a Feb. 3 pretrial conference, Judge Lewis Liman told both sides to adhere to the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which prohibit public comments that could unfairly influence a jury. If the PR war continues, Liman warned he may expedite the trial.
Lively, 37, has accused Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us and claims he retaliated by launching a media smear campaign against her.
Baldoni responded with a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times.
Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, asked the judge to stop Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, from making public statements and launching a website aimed at defending Baldoni.
The legal dispute began in December, when Lively sued Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer, and two of his colleagues, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. In January, Baldoni filed his own lawsuit, claiming Lively spread false allegations to take control of the movie’s promotion.
Freedman recently released a 10-minute video from the film’s set, which he claimed disproves some of Lively’s accusations. He also announced a website to showcase evidence supporting Baldoni’s case, which Lively’s team called an attempt to taint the jury pool.
In response, another Baldoni attorney, Kevin Fritz, argued that Lively’s team started the “media feeding frenzy” by allegedly leaking her complaint to The New York Times, which published her claims in December. Baldoni has since sued the newspaper for its coverage.
The case is set to go to trial in March 2026.
