The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is set to heat up early next year, with their respective legal teams preparing to meet in court soon. A federal judge has scheduled a hearing to consider a gag order request as early as next week, ahead of the trial in the Southern District of New York starting on March 9, 2026.
Lively filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios and his PR team shortly after Baldoni sued The New York Times for $250 million over allegedly defamatory reporting on Lively’s sexual harassment complaint. Lively’s lawsuit accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment, smear campaign, and breach of contract, while Baldoni countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane for defamation and extortion.
The lawsuit details a meeting on January 4 where the parties agreed to cease harassing behavior, with Reynolds attending as Lively’s representative. The suit alleges retaliation, aiding and abetting harassment, infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy. Lively is seeking a jury trial and punitive damages to be determined at trial.
Representatives for Baldoni and Wayfarer did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the matter. The legal battle between the co-stars seems to be far from over, with both parties gearing up for a contentious legal fight in the coming months.
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