- Blake Lively sues Baldoni for harassment; he countersues for defamation.
- Attorney predicts escalating legal battle with emotional and financial strain.
- Pre-trial conference set to determine trial timeline and discovery process.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s ongoing legal dispute is expected to escalate further before any potential settlement. Gregory Doll, an attorney at Doll Amir & Eley in Los Angeles who is not involved in the case, described the situation to People magazine, saying, “It’s very nasty, and I think it’s going to get nastier.”
He further added, “It’s going to be a very consuming, very difficult, very challenging time for the parties going ahead. I think they both got great lawyers, but they’re going to pay a lot of money and it’s going to be a lot of emotional turmoil.”
Lively, 37, has filed a lawsuit against the 41-year-old It Ends With Us star, accusing him of sexual harassment during the film’s production in 2024. She also claims that Baldoni initiated a public smear campaign to “destroy” her reputation after she came forward with the allegations.
Baldoni responded by suing Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist for $400 million, alleging defamation and extortion. He also filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for publishing Lively’s allegations.
A pre-trial conference has been scheduled for February 12 by Judge Lewis Liman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Doll explained, “They talk about what is the likely expectation for a trial date estimate? How long do we need to have discovery?” The conference will determine the timeline for key legal proceedings.
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