Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Scheduled for March 2026 Trial Date in ‘It Ends With Us’ Lawsuit

NEW YORK—On Monday, a judge in New York set a trial date for March 2026 and rescheduled an initial conference from mid-February to next week amid the escalating public dispute between Blake Lively and her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

In a new development within the legal disputes surrounding the film, which became unexpectedly successful last summer, Lively filed a request in a Texas court seeking a deposition from a man she claims played a crucial role in creating negative online sentiment against her during the film’s release and promotional activities.

The federal judge in New York, Lewis J. Liman, instructed both parties in an order issued late Monday to prepare for the trial set for March 9, 2026.

Additionally, he advanced the initial conference from mid-February to next week and advised the attorneys to be ready to discuss issues regarding pretrial publicity and professional conduct.

Liman’s actions came after Lively’s legal team asserted in a filing on Monday that Baldoni’s attorney was engaged in efforts that could bias potential jurors concerning the lawsuits filed by both actors against each other.

The lawyers indicated that Baldoni’s attorney was attempting to undermine Lively’s career and sway potential jurors in New York by launching a website to publicly share selective documents and communications between Lively and Baldoni.

The lawyers claimed that Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, was “conducting this extrajudicial campaign to sway these proceedings and the public’s perception of the legal filings before this court, creating a significant risk of tainting the jury pool.”

They further stated: “The unending flow of defamatory and extrajudicial media statements must cease.”

In response to the assertions made on Monday, Freedman remarked that the “irony is not lost on anyone that Ms. Lively is so terrified of the truth that she seeks to suppress it.”

“We will always uphold the court’s integrity; however, we will not be intimidated by those suggesting we cannot defend our clients with straightforward, unfiltered facts,” said the attorney. “What we desire is for the public to see the actual text messages that directly refute her claims, video evidence showing no instances of sexual harassment, and all other compelling evidence that counters misleading allegations.”

In a letter addressed to the judge on Thursday, Baldoni’s attorney, Kevin Fritz, accused Lively of running a publicity campaign that made Baldoni and other defendants the “targets of public derision and contempt.”

He remarked that her actions had resulted in such damages to those she sued that they were “ostracized from reputable society and suffered losses amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars due to Ms. Lively’s aggressive media tactics.”

In a separate filing in Hays County, Texas, intended as a precursor to a possible lawsuit, Lively is requesting an order for a deposition from Jed Wallace, a crisis management expert she argues was responsible for much of the social media manipulation that turned public opinion against her via posts on Reddit and TikTok.

The filing states that Wallace and his Texas-based firm, Street Relations, were engaged as subcontractors by publicists who were working with Baldoni and his production company.

“He weaponized an online army nationwide, including in New York and Los Angeles, to create, disseminate, manipulate, and promote disparaging content that seemed authentic on social media platforms and discussion forums,” the document alleges.

Wallace is mentioned in Lively’s federal lawsuit, but he is not listed as a defendant.

Freedman, who is reported to be Wallace’s attorney, did not provide a comment when contacted about this matter.

Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his production company, and others in New York in late December, alleging sexual harassment and damage to her reputation, seeking unspecified damages. Baldoni filed a counter-suit earlier this month, claiming Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” star Ryan Reynolds, committed defamation and extortion, seeking at least $400 million in damages.

The judge indicated on Monday that he is likely to consolidate the lawsuits for trial.

“It Ends With Us,” adapted from Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance and takes a dark turn into domestic violence, premiered in August, significantly surpassing box office expectations with a $50 million opening. However, the film’s release was overshadowed by rumors of disputes between Lively and Baldoni.

Lively gained fame from the 2005 movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and cemented her stardom with the TV series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012. She subsequently starred in films like “The Town” and “The Shallows.”

Baldoni is known for his role in the TV comedy “Jane the Virgin,” directing the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart,” and writing “Man Enough,” a book challenging conventional views of masculinity.

By Larry Neumeister and Andrew Dalton