“This Was Not Started by Us”: The ‘It Ends With Us’ Battle Hits the Courtroom
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ordered the attorneys in the legal standoff between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni on Monday to comply with a federal court rule barring lawyers from making statements to the press that could prejudice the case.
The court issued the order after Bryan Freedman, the attorney for Justin Baldoni and the studio that produced It Ends With Us, claimed he was facing a potential gag order proposed by Lively’s legal team. However, Michael Gottlieb, representing the actress, said he was not seeking a full gag order but rather a court order to comply with existing rules dictating trial publicity.
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As evidence of the need for the order, Gottlieb pointed to statements Freedman had made in the press accusing Lively of a pattern of bullying and saying that he had the “receipts” that would prove the case in publications including People and on the Megyn Kelly Show. Gottlieb further pointed to a website recently launched by Freedman’s team, which lays out the timeline of the dispute between Lively and Baldoni but features an editorialized narrative, according to Gottlieb.
He further added that his team will move to dismiss the addition of that timeline and narrative to the amended complaint filed by Freedman. In turn, Freedman read out statements Gottlieb’s team had made to the press, though Liman cautioned “You went a bit further than that,” even as Freedman said his team had to respond to the initial New York Times article about Lively’s complaint.
“This was not started by us,” Freedman said.
But he also agreed to follow court rules on engaging with press, even before the court order. Liman said he was adopting the rule as an order of the court “with some reluctance,” as he did not want the case to devolve into “satellite litigation” over statements made by the attorneys. If issues persist, he added that he could also move up the date of the trial so as not to prejudice potential jurors, but he was also reluctant to do that given the amount of discovery that needs to be completed before then. “Damage is done before a jury speaks,” Freedman argued.
“That’s the reason you each have sued,” Liman countered.
This was the first court hearing on the lawsuits brought by Lively and Baldoni. The suits have been consolidated into one case, while the litigation between publicists Stephanie Jones and Jennifer Abel remains separate.
The March 2026 trial date still stands, even as both sides contend with discovery from multiple parties. Freedman recently filed a revised complaint, which added The New York Times as a defendant. Gottlieb said his team was also thinking of amending their own complaint with new parties and claims but didn’t elaborate.
“I couldn’t be more pleased with how the case was handled today,” Freedman said in a press conference outside the court hearing. “We’re going to move as quickly as possible and prove our innocence.”
Monday’s late-morning session in lower Manhattan marked the first court hearing in the dramatic showdown. The hearing was originally scheduled for Feb. 12, but Liman — the brother of veteran Hollywood director Doug Liman — moved up the date after attorneys for Lively and Reynolds repeatedly raised concerns that the Los Angeles-based Freedman is potentially violating attorney conduct by litigating in the press (and tabloids in particular).
Baldoni, Lively and Reynolds were never expected to attend; rather, a small army of lawyers representing the various sides turned up.
In her lawsuit, which was filed over Christmas, Lively accused her It Ends With Us director and co-star of sexual harassment and launching a smear campaign against her in the wake of the movie’s release as a means of deflection and retaliation. She also named Jamey Heath, Baldoni’s partner at production company Wayfarer Studios, crisis PR exec Melissa Nathan and Wayfarer publicist Jennifer Abel in the suit. The actress-producer is represented by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Baldoni responded by filing a $400 million lawsuit against both Lively and Reynolds alleging extortion and defamation. (He also names Lively’s longtime publicist Leslie Sloane and L.A. publicist Stephanie Jones). He and Freedman are also going after The New York Times, which detailed Lively’s allegations in a lengthy expose.
The Lively-Baldoni feud has put a spotlight on “astroturfing,” whereby publicists harness the Internet to sway opinion on social media. According to Lively’s suit, the alleged organized attack against has had profound consequences by rendering her depressed, and harming her family and business ventures.
“Through this complaint, Ms. Lively seeks to set the record straight, to hold the Wayfarer Parties and Associates accountable, and to shine a light on this new form of retaliation so that it will not be used against any others who seek to stand up and speak out against sexual harassment,” stated her lawsuit. “In sum, Mr. Baldoni has crafted a public image of himself as not just an ally, but also a fierce advocate for women. Contrary to this image, as set forth in detail above, Mr. Baldoni has spent the last several months and significant resources on his goal of wanting to ‘bury’ and ‘destroy’ Ms. Lively for raising concerns about his and his CEO’s harassing behavior and other disturbing conduct.”
Baldoni’s side has insisted that the social media attack against Lively in favor of Baldoni is organic, and that they did not engineer it.
The outspoken Freedman has repeatedly said his client is the true victim, and that It Ends With Us was wrested away from him by Lively in the post-production process because of the power she and Reynolds enjoy.
Instead of directly addressing Lively’s complaint regarding Baldoni’s behavior on the set of the film, Freedman has instead leaked texts, voice memos and video to the press to dispute her version of events as laid out in her suit, which alleges other women also felt uncomfortable.
In asking the court to intervene regarding Freedman, Lively’s lawyers argued prior to the hearing that his various leaks and comments are likely designed to obscure that Ms. Lively is in possession of numerous additional communications relating to her claims.
“If Mr. Freedman’s conduct is permitted, it will only result in an arms race of selective public disclosures of text messages to the media — that is neither encouraged — nor permitted, by Rule 3.6 or the federal rules. The Wayfarer Parties initiated their own claims in multiple lawsuits against multiple parties, and in doing so, had a full and unencumbered opportunity to include in their pleadings any and all text messages or other context they believed supported their claims,” stated a Jan. 27 letter asking for the gag order.
Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, attorneys for Lively, said in a statement following the hearing, “We are pleased with the result of today’s hearing and eager to move forward immediately with discovery in this case. 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.”
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