Justin Baldoni’s legal battle with It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively is allegedly leaving its mark on the actor.
During a pretrial hearing on Monday, February 3, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman said his “clients are devastated financially and emotionally” because of the situation. (Freedman is also representing It Ends With Us producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz, their production company Wayfarer Studios and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.)
“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,” Freedman added on Monday, per People.
Lively’s lawyer Michael Gottlieb used similar language to describe her reaction to the case, telling the judge that the alleged “retaliation campaign” by Baldoni’s team has been “devastating” for the Gossip Girl alum, according to CNN.
Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Reacts to Blake Lively Statement: ‘Heinous Pivot’
Monday marked the first hearing in the case, which is set to go to trial on March 9, 2026. During the hearing, Judge Lewis J. Liman warned both parties that he has the power to move up the trial date if the complaints continue to be “litigated in the press.”
After Monday’s proceeding, both Lively and Baldoni’s attorneys said they were happy with how things went.
“We are pleased with the result of today’s hearing and eager to move forward immediately with discovery in this case,” reps for Lively, 37, told Us in a statement. “The Court granted our request that all attorneys in the matter actually follow the rule of law and not make any statements that could prejudice a jury. This case deals with serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. We will hold the defendants accountable, and we are confident that once all the evidence is submitted in this matter, Ms. Lively will prevail.”
Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Slams Blake Lively’s Gag Order Ask, Trial Date Set
Baldoni’s team, meanwhile, told Us, “Our clients are devastated and want to move the case along as quickly as possible. We just couldn’t be more pleased with how the case was handled today, how it was managed. We’re going to move as quickly as we possibly can and prove our innocence, in a world where sometimes people judge you before they give you a chance. And we’re going to change that.”
Months after rumors swirled of a rift between Lively and Baldoni on the set of It Ends With Us, the actress filed a lawsuit against her director in December 2024 accusing him of sexual harassment and creating an unsafe work environment. Baldoni, 41, has denied her allegations.
Baldoni and other plaintiffs went on to sue The New York Times, who broke the story, that same month. A spokesperson for the newspaper told Us at the time that the outlet is planning to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
Blake Lively’s Lawyers Denounce ‘More Attacks’ From Justin Baldoni
Last month, Baldoni’s studio also filed a separate lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist, Leslie Sloane, seeking $400 million in damages.
In response to the lawsuit, Lively’s legal team said in a statement, “Their response to sexual harassment allegations: she wanted it, it’s her fault. Their justification for why this happened to her: look what she was wearing. In short, while the victim focuses on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”
