Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, two of the stars in the ongoing lawsuit against him for allegedly misconduct during the production of It Ends With Us, met in a Manhattan law office for Lively’s deposition.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni met in person today for the first time since their public dispute, during Lively’s deposition in her lawsuit against the actor and director. The session took place at Lively’s legal team’s office in Manhattan.
The legal battle stems from their work on the 2024 film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel It Ends With Us, in which Lively starred and Baldoni both acted and directed. In December, Lively, 37, filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, 41, alleging she suffered “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration and mental anguish” as a result of his conduct during production.
Baldoni denied the claims and filed a countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane. His filing alleged extortion and defamation. He also filed a separate defamation action against The New York Times. It comes after Blake was blasted for being rude to staff in a New York shop.
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Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $ 400 million counterclaim and the newspaper’s defamation lawsuit last month.
The deposition took place in a private space today. A court reporter, a videographer, and only two parties’ attorneys were present. The testimony may continue to be secret.
Baldoni chose to attend the deposition in person, according to TMZ and ABC News reports. In March 2026, the case is expected to go to trial. Both Lively and Baldoni have confirmed that they will testify in the courtroom, but there will be no cameras in the room.
Mike Gottlieb, Lively’s attorney, has previously indicated that she intends to testify.
Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, had previously suggested that Lively’s testimony be presented in public at Madison Square Garden, with proceeds going to charities that help victims of domestic violence.
Let’s make it count, Freedman said in May 2024, “Since Ms. Lively is open to testifying.” That suggestion was not carried out.
The ongoing conflict began after Hoover’s 2016 novel, It Ends With Us, was released. Due to the involvement of prominent actors and its subject matter, the adaptation attracted a lot of attention.
The main allegations in Lively’s lawsuit continue to be true even though some legal claims have been dropped. In both legal and entertainment contexts, the case is still receiving a lot of media attention.
No one from Reynolds or Sloane’s representatives has made a public comment on today’s proceedings.
A crucial stage of the trial process is the deposition, which will provide sworn testimony that can be used during the trial. In New York’s federal court, the case’s outcome will be decided.
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Source: Mirror
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