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NEED TO KNOW
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle, which began one year ago, is moving toward a trial, now scheduled for May 18, 2026
The case is advancing quickly and is unlikely to be resolved without a jury
Both sides deny wrongdoing and continue to trade conflicting accounts of what happened on the set of It Ends With Us
One year afterBlake Livelyfiled an explosive lawsuit against herIt Ends With Uscostar and directorJustin Baldoni, the legal battle is racing toward a trial.
"It might sound like a long time to be fighting this out, but going from filing a case to trial within a year and a half is actually pretty quick," says legal expert Benjamin White, a partner atBloch & Whitein New York City. (White is not representing either party.)
The dispute stems fromIt Ends With Us, the 2024 romantic drama adapted fromColleen Hoover's novel. The film was a major box office success, earning approximately $351 million worldwide.
"There has been a massive amount of intermediate fighting over things like discovery," White says. "There are over 1,000 entries on the docket for a case that's only been around for a year. That's an enormous amount of litigation."
How the Legal Fight Escalated
What began as months of online speculation about tension between the costars after a rocky press tour soon escalated into formal legal action.
In December 2024,Lively, 38, filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment, which he denies. She namedproducer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios and itsco-founder Steve Sarowitz,Jed Wallace, an independent contractor, along withpublicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, alleging they took part in an effort to damage her reputation.
On Dec. 31, Lively filed a formal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. That same day, Baldoni fileda $400 million lawsuit against Lively,The New York Times,Ryan Reynoldsandpublicist Leslie Sloaneaccusing them of civil extortion and defamation. Judge Liman laterdismissed Baldoni's countersuitin June.
In November, Lively said she is seeking more than$161 million in damages, citing alleged lost acting opportunities and financial losses tied to her beverage and haircare brands.
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Where Things Stand Now
The trial between Lively and Baldoni has been delayed, with anew start date set for May 18, 2026,nearly two months later than originally scheduled.
Jury selection is expected to begin in April, with the trial itself anticipated to last about a month.
Oral arguments on Baldoni'ssummary judgment is scheduled for Jan. 22, although it is unlikely to be resolved without a trial.
"Reviewing the summary judgment papers felt like reading two entirely different books," he says. "When the stories are that inconsistent, it's very hard for a judge to choose one side over the other, which makes sending the case to trial the most likely outcome."
"You can get a sense of the strength of the writing and some of the legal arguments," says White, "but it's hard to judge how egregious the underlying evidence is when so much of it is redacted."
"This doesn't strike me as the type of case that can be resolved without a trial," he says. "In many ways, it reads as a classic he-said-she-said situation."
"One side says certain things happened; the other says they didn't, or that they did happen but are being misconstrued and taken out of context," he says. "Whether something happened and what it meant are exactly the kinds of questions a jury is meant to resolve."
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What a Settlement Could Look Like
While settlement is always possible, White says cases like this are often driven as much by emotion and reputation as by legal strategy.
Though the judge has ordered the parties to participate in mandatory settlement talks on Feb. 11, White says an agreement remains unlikely.
"Lawyers may suggest settling, but clients sometimes refuse because they want their day in court," he explains.
White adds that both sides appear able to sustain prolonged litigation and have strong incentives to control the public narrative.
"Each side wants its version of events to be the one people believe," he says. "A settlement can leave everyone unhappy on that front, which is why cases like this often go to trial."
If the case were to settle, White says it would likely involve carefully negotiated public statements. "These usually aren't full apologies," he says. "They're more about expressing a desire to move on. Every word gets negotiated."
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What Both Sides Are Saying
Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedmantold TMZ in June that Baldoni "wants to be vindicated, and that's all that he cares about."
Meanwhile, Lively's attorneyMichael GottliebaccusedBaldoni and the co-defendants of trying to avoid trial altogether. In a filing, he argued the defendants are attempting to "shield [themselves] from trial, and deny Blake Lively her day in court, by throwing the kitchen sink at Lively's sexual harassment and retaliation claims," adding that their arguments "collapse under the weight of the overwhelming evidence."
In a recent court filing, Baldoni's attorneys responded, claiming "Lively spills lots of ink attempting to conjure up factual disputes, but the material facts are undisputed," calling her allegations "a massive legal campaign over what it characterizes as minor grievances that were resolved during production, without the need for litigation."
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