The Justin Baldoni/Blake Lively saga has a new chapter, but it’s one we’ve all read before, and it wasn’t particularly enjoyable. The two actors have been granted their day in court if they can’t settle their respective lawsuits against one another before then.
Trial is set for March 2026
According to WDSU, New York federal judge, Lewis J. Liman, has set a combined court date for both lawsuits for Mar. 9, 2026 — an entire year from now. Before that, however, Lively and Baldoni are expected to attend a pre-trial conference as soon as Feb. 3 of this year. According to the outlet, lawyers are to come “prepared to address complaints about pre-trial publicity and attorney conduct.”
The latter warning comes in response to a letter from Lively’s attorney, Michael Gottlieb, to Liman citing “growing concerns” over “extrajudicial misconduct” from Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman, per the Daily Mail.
Freedman has appeared in several television and web shows to discuss the case, making comments which Gottlieb describes as “inflammatory.” Lively’s representative argues that the opposing attorney is trying to “influence proceedings and the public perception.” His letter also mentions that Freedman has been preparing a website to share “strategically selected documents and communications” between the two actors in order to “torpedo … Lively’s career for good.”
Among other things, both sides have accused each other of orchestrating smear campaigns to turn public opinion against the other. In Baldoni’s case, he tapped publicist Melissa Nathan and her PR firm, The Agency PR, ahead of It Ends With Us‘ release. Nathan, many have pointed out, previously worked with another man accused of sexual misconduct and who ultimately won over the people’s sympathy through cutesy TikTok videos and a very public trial — Johnny Depp.
Why a “Baldoni v. Lively” trial cannot be a repeat of “Depp v. Heard”
With the news of the trial, concerns have risen that we’re in for another media circus that, much like what happened in 2022, could become more about public perception and affection than the hard facts.
Over on X, people shared their reactions. “It’s gonna be Amber Heard all over again. I’m gonna be sick,” said one user. “Please don’t make this another Amber Heard and Johnny Depp,” said another. That trial also concerned accusations of defamation from both sides. Primarily, Depp accused Heard of defaming him in an op-ed where she spoke about his physical and sexual abuse.
In the end, Depp was largely victorious, with a jury ruling that Heard’s descriptions in the piece were false and that she had defamed her ex-husband with actual malice.
Since then, however, many have questioned the role public opinion and social media played in the verdict, especially considering that, in 2020, a U.K. judge had ruled in favor of The Sun‘s reporting on Heard’s “wife-beater” allegations, stating that they had “been proved to the civil standard.” The support for Depp, especially on social media, was fierce, widespread, and often vile, particularly pertaining to crude video edits of emotional moments from the trial.
The Lively/Baldoni legal battle has become intrinsically tied to that case thanks to the undeniable similarities and the common link in the men’s PR squad. Plus, Lively’s lawsuit contains chilling texts shared by her co-star’s camp, where they discuss the creation of fake social media profiles to control the narrative. In one message, Nathan remarks, “The majority of socials are so pro Justin and I don’t even agree with half of them lol.” In another, Baldoni’s other publicist Jennifer Abel comments, “It’s actually sad because it just shows you have people really want to hate on women.”
The whole thing has blown the issue of controlled public narratives wide open, making people reevaluate their stances on many of these celebrity feuds — chief of which, thanks to its dimension and gravity, is Depp v. Heard. Thankfully, New York State has largely limited camera access to courtrooms which, if Lively and Baldoni make it to trial, could at least contain some of the perverse ridicule Heard was subjected to in 2022.
Published: Jan 28, 2025 10:42 am