Attorneys to Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni get a reality check from Federal Judge

New York (AP) – a federal judge who presides over the heated public feud between actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni about whether sexual harassment occurred during the creation of “It ends with us” Warned attorneys Monday to comply with the Court’s rules on public statements intended to secure a fair trial.

Judge Lewis J. Liman suggested that he be able to join on March 9, 2026, the trial should happen before if lawyers were unable to stop making fiery public comments that could contaminate a potential jurypool.

None of the actors participated in Manhattan Federal Court hearing, where lawyers again repeated their claims that their opponents were not playing fair.

Attorney Michael Gottlieb, who represented lively, complained that Baldoni’s lawyer had made inflammatory statements in public, which was devastating too lively.

He said she was “very eager to move on and have her day in court.”

Bryan Freedman, who represented Baldoni and his production company, said his clients had suffered hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation due to Livly’s claims that she was sexually harassed on the film set.

Freedman said he would not say “they started it”, but that was what happened when lively took her complaints about Baldoni to the media.

Lively, Baldoni, his production company and others in New York at the end of December for sexual harassment and attacks on her reputation and sought unspecified injuries. Baldoni sued last month, accused Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation and extortion and sought at least $ 400 million in compensation.

“It ends with us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoovers Best Sarky 2016 -Roman It begins as a romance but takes a dark turn for domestic violence was released in August, Exceeding ticket office expectations With a $ 50 million debut. But the film’s release was shrouded by speculation about disagreement between lively and Baldoni.

Lively was widely known after she appeared in the 2005 movie “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” She strengthened her star status on the TV series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012, before starring in films, including “The Town” and “The Shallows.”

Baldoni participated in the TV comedy “Jane Virgin,” The 2019 movie “Five Feet Apart” and wrote “Man NOK”, a book that pushed back to traditional notions of masculinity.