Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's public feud has been exponentially accelerating since she filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director at the end of last month. On Monday 27 January, a New York judge finally set a trial date for March 2026.
The New York federal judge also moved an initial conference from mid-February to next week, and told lawyers to be prepared to address complaints about pretrial publicity and the conduct of attorneys.
He also confirmed that he would combine the lawsuits each party filed against one another in the trial.
This follows Blake's lawyers claiming in a filing that an attorney for Justin was trying to influence potential jurors over the back-and-forth lawsuits.
They said that attorney Bryan Freedman, representing Justin, was "engaging in this extrajudicial campaign to influence these proceedings and the public perception of legal filings to this Court, and there already is a serious risk that his misconduct is tainting the jury pool."
They added: "The endless stream of defamatory and extrajudicial media statements must end."
Freedman responded by stating that the "irony is not lost on anyone that Ms. Lively is so petrified of the truth that she has moved to gag it.
"We will always respect the court; however, we will never be bullied by those suggesting we cannot defend our clients with pure, unedited facts," he said.
"All we want is for people to see the actual text messages that directly contradict her allegations, video footage that clearly shows there was no sexual harassment and all the other powerful evidence that directly contradicts any false allegations."
© USWBlake sued Justin, his production company Wayfarer Studios and others, accusing him of sexual harassment and the others of engaging in a "carefully crafted, coordinated, and resourced retaliatory scheme to silence her, and others, from speaking out".
Blake vs Justin: feud timeline
© Getty Images2024
9th August – It Ends With Us is released
6th August – Justin walks the red carpet away from the rest of his costars during the movie premiere
13th August –Justin hires crisis PR Melissa Nathan who represented Johnny Depp during his defamation trial
20th December – Blake files a huge lawsuit against Justin, accusing him of "unprofessional'' behaviour on set
21st December – Justin is dropped by his talent agency
22nd December – The New York Times leaks private messages, attesting to a PR smear campaign against Blake
31st December – Justin files a lawsuit against The New York Times
31st December – Blake files a lawsuit against Justin
2025
16th January – Justin countersues Blake for $400 million
21st January – Justin's team releases footage from the It Ends With Us set, contradicting Blake's argument
27th January – A trial date is set for March 2026
27th January – Audio of Justin is leaked where he allegedly apologises to Blake during filming
1st February –Justin's team launches a website with two legal documents about the dispute
5th February – Blake is sued by crisis PR firm for $7 million
Her complaint, filed with the California Civil Rights Department and a precursor to a lawsuit, also included the promotional period, alleging that a crisis PR team was hired to intentionally slander her name and reputation.
Justin then countersued earlier this month, accusing Blake and her husband Ryan Reynolds of defamation and extortion, seeking at least $400 million in damages.
The trial will begin on March 9 2026.
