Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni get March 2026 trial date for ‘It Ends With Us’ case

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal case has a trial date.

On Jan. 27,  Judge Lewis J. Liman confirmed that Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC et al. will address both of the stars’ lawsuits in a trial set for March 9, 2026 in New York.

According to the court documents obtained by NBC News, Judge Liman also stated that the pre-trial conference originally scheduled for Feb. 12, 2025 will now be held on Feb. 3. During this conference, both parties will address Lively’s letter motion regarding pre-trial “publicity and attorney conduct.”

NBC News obtained a letter from Lively’s team to the judge filed Jan. 27 that requested a conference at the earliest convenience. In it, Lively’s team asks for a gag order preventing Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, from sharing “inflammatory content to tabloid media outlets that contains multiple false and defamatory statements and character attacks against Ms. Lively.” Her team also aims to halt the website Freeman previously said Baldoni’s legal team would create “to release strategically selected documents and communications between Ms. Lively and Mr. Baldoni.” Lively’s team says the site “will be incomplete, biased, and prejudicial by design.”

NBC News and TODAY.com have reached out to both Lively and Baldoni’s legal teams for comment regarding the trial date. 

The request came after Freeman released 10-minute behind-the-scenes footage of Lively and Baldoni filming a slow-dancing scene in an attempt to refute Lively’s claims that Baldoni acted inappropriate on set.

In a statement to NBC News on Jan. 21, Lively’s legal team said that the video showed “Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character.”

“Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss,” the statement continued, adding that the footage shows her “leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort.”

“They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent,” the statement continued. Attorneys for Lively said that the video being released to the media instead of being used as evidence in court was “another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public” and was “a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign.”

Additionally, Baldoni’s attorney, Freeman, told NBC in a statement shared Jan. 25: “The irony is not lost on anyone that Ms. Lively is so petrified of the truth that she has moved to gag it.”

Freeman added in part, “When you accuse innocent individuals of something so disturbing as sexual harassment without thinking of the destruction it would cause to not only them, but the entire domestic violence community, this is where accountability for such mean spirited actions must be taken.”

Freeman added that he and his team will always respect the court. “However, we will never be bullied by those suggesting we cannot defend our clients with pure, unedited facts. All we want is for people to see the actual text messages that directly contradict her allegations, video footage that clearly shows there was no sexual harassment and all the other powerful evidence that directly contradicts any false allegations of sexual harassment and subsequent smear campaign. It seems that in a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”

In December, Lively, who co-starred and was a producer on “It Ends With Us,” filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni. Baldoni directed the movie and portrayed Lively’s character’s love interest, as well. Weeks later, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, producer Jamey Heath, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, crisis publicist Melissa Nathan and others connected to Baldoni and the film alleging sexual harassment and a smear campaign against her, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.

Baldoni, on his end, sued Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and other defendants for $400 million. The “Jane the Virgin” star accused them of defamation and other contractual claims, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.