Blake Lively is keeping her attention on her family as she deals with an ongoing legal battle against Justin Baldoni. “Blake is surprisingly calm and just tries to focus on family life,” a source close to Lively told People Magazine.
“She’s in constant contact with her team. She sees the whole lawsuit drama as a necessary bump, but she’s not letting it take away from her main focus, which is her children.”
Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni in December, accusing him of inappropriate behaviour on the set of It Ends with Us. Lively alleged in the lawsuit that Baldoni engaged in “disturbing” and “unprofessional” conduct, creating a “hostile work environment.” She also claimed that Baldoni launched a retaliatory “smear campaign” to “destroy” her reputation.
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Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation and extortion, demanding $400 million in damages. His legal team also took legal action against The New York Times over its coverage of Lively’s allegations.
Pre-trial conference sparks gag order in Lively vs. Baldoni case
On Monday, attorneys for both parties attended a pre-trial conference where Lively’s legal team argued for a gag order to limit public discussion of the case. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, stated, “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,” adding that Baldoni is both emotionally and financially “devastated” by the legal dispute.
Following the hearing, New York Judge Lewis Liman issued an order instructing both sides to avoid making public statements “to feast upon” that could influence the jury. The decision came after Baldoni’s legal team leaked footage from the It Ends with Us set and launched a website, thelawsuitinfo.com, which contained legal filings related to the case.
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“There will come a time, unless this case is settled, that a jury will speak,” the judge said.
Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, welcomed the ruling, stating, “We are pleased with the judge’s ruling.” Both lawsuits are scheduled to go to trial on March 9, 2026.