Blake Lively’s lawyers object to questions about her s*xual history, calling them improper as her legal fight with Justin Baldoni intensifies.

Per court filings, attorneys for Blake Lively moved for sanctions against lawyers representing Justin Baldoni, accusing them of laughing, speechifying, and deliberately slowing depositions in the ongoing It Ends with Us harassment and retaliation case. The main objection centers on questions about Lively’s s*xual and romantic history, which her lawyers say have no place in this lawsuit. In a written warning sent to Baldoni’s counsel, they stated (via Variety):

Ms. Lively’s s*xual and/or romantic history has no bearing on the matters at issue in this case and we will not tolerate such examination.

Lively’s side also invoked “r*pe shield law”, which limits inquiries into a claimant’s s*xual past. Tensions escalated further after a deposition involving defense expert Nicole Alexander was allegedly delayed by repeated objections from Bryan Freedman and Kevin Fritz. So far, Baldoni’s camp hasn’t put a clear reason on the record for those questions.

They’ve denied the harassment claims, pushed for dismissal, and accused the actress of misconduct, but on the sexual history angle, they’ve stayed tight-lipped. Blake Lively is married to Ryan Reynolds, her partner in life since they crossed paths on Green Lantern in 2010. Marriage vows followed in 2012, and today they are raising four kids together.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Head to Talks as Trial Looms

Lawyers for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are preparing for settlement discussions, though expectations remain low. A court-mandated conference is set for February 11, with Judge Sarah Cave requiring both parties to appear. As one source close to the case put it (per Deadline):

Lively is seeking roughly $500 million in damages, while Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios appear determined to fight the claims in court. Judge Lewis Liman previously delayed the trial start from March to May 18 due to docket pressures. Still, filings suggest neither camp is backing down.

Baldoni’s team has asked for summary judgment, calling Lively’s allegations a “litany of minor grievances.” Lively’s response argues that Baldoni is avoiding responsibility for what she describes as a hostile set environment.

If no deal is reached, testimony could extend beyond the two co-stars to include Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, and other high-profile figures tied to the production and its aftermath.

Everything to Know About Legal Battle Between It Ends with Us Stars

The dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni traces back to alleged on-set tensions during the 2024 production of It Ends with Us, adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel. Lively filed a complaint in December 2024 alleging s*xual harassment and retaliation, claiming emotional distress tied to Baldoni’s conduct.

Baldoni countersued in January 2025, seeking $400 million and accusing Lively and Ryan Reynolds of defamation and extortion through a coordinated media effort. Lively alleges inappropriate behavior, including unwanted physical contact and personal sexual discussions.

Baldoni claims Lively overstepped creatively by influencing script, wardrobe, and editing decisions without authority. Both sides accuse the other of reputational harm through press strategy.

Key Timeline

As of now, Lively’s claims continue toward trial.

From deposition conduct to settlement posturing, both sides are signaling that compromise is unlikely. Do these talks end in a quiet resolution, or does this head straight for a courtroom showdown with celebrity witnesses and every filing under a microscope? What do you think happens next? Drop your take below, and follow FandomWire for more updates!

It Ends with Us is available for streaming on Netflix (US).

Lawyers for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are officially talking about coming to some sort of settlement in the bitter and sprawling sex harassment and retaliation action the actress launched last year against her It Ends With Us co-star and his Wayfarer Studios inner circle.

Of course, no one on either side has very high hopes that the parties can come to any deal before the May 2026 trial begins.

“This is a mix of going through the motions, fulfilling Judge (Lewis) Liman’s order and putting the best foot forward,” an individual close to the star-studded matter told Deadline this week as a settlement calendar appeared on the federal court docket. “Don’t be fooled. Everyone is preparing for the trial.”

One thing is sure, Lively and Baldoni will be face-to-face in this settlement process, be it a charade or not.

“The presence of each party (the client), in addition to counsel, is essential to the settlement process,” Magistrate Judge Sarah Cave threw down in a December 18 order.

What the settlement sessions are highly unlikely to produce is any actual settlement as Lively seeks around $500 million in damages from Team Baldoni and the Wayfarer crew. On the flip, Baldoni and crew also seem intent in getting their day in court to disprove the actress’ allegations of misconduct during the production of the Sony distributed IEWU, and a preemptive online smear campaign that followed.

On December 9, Judge Liman kicked the start of the trial two months down the road from its long established March date because of criminal cases that were piling up in the federal court system. At that same hearing, he strongly encouraged the parties to bring the volume down and try to work this all out without a trial.

As it stands right now, representatives for the Another Simple Favor star and the Man Enough podcast co-host will be meeting separately on January 23 with Judge Cave for a “counsel-only conference with counsel …to discuss settlement.” The back-to-back get togethers, with Lively’s team of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher attorneys going first, will occur in Judge Cave’s her New York courtroom in the morning next month.

“Plaintiff to make a settlement demand to the Defendants (or reaffirm any prior demand) by Wednesday, January 28, 2026,” wrote Judge Cave of Lively in a scheduling order Thursday. “Defendants to inform Plaintiff of their response to the demand by Wednesday, February 4, 2026,” she also noted of Baldoni and the Wayfarer defendants.

Next up, as the movement towards the May 18 starting trial continues full-speed ahead on a parallel track, will be an all-hands on deck settlement conference on February 11 in front of Judge Cave. That session could see plaintiff Lively and defendants Baldoni, his Wayfarer CEO, co-founder and PR chiefs Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel all in court with defense lawyer Bryan Freedman and the rest of the legal beagles.

“At the settlement conference, counsel for each side should expect to make a succinct presentation (10–15 minutes) in the presence of all parties and the Court summarizing the issues counsel believes are important for the client(s).. of the opposing party to consider for purposes of formulating a settlement position,” Judge Cave’s order continues.

“After the initial statements, counsel may respond and have their clients speak if they choose,” she goes on to note. “Following the presentations, the Court will meet separately with each side in private. In these meetings, the parties and their counsel must be prepared to inform the Court of the amount of attorneys’ fees and expenses incurred to date, and an estimate of the remaining costs (including attorneys’ fees) of litigating the case to judgment, including appeal.”

If a settlement fails to be achieved by Lively and Baldoni’s lawyers, that May 2026 trial could see not just the IEWU co-stars testifying but also Lively’s hubby Ryan Reynolds, his Deadpool & Wolverine co-star Hugh Jackman, Taylor Swift (godmother to one of Lively and Reynolds’ kids) and many other A-listers, along with Sony execs. The trial could also prove much more low-key (in relative terms) as the two sides grind it out over data analysis, tweet tracking and careful looks at BTS footage from IEWU to prove their respective points.

No surprise, reps for neither Baldoni nor Lively responded to Deadline’s request for comment on the settlement scheduling orders from Judge Cave – which means they had nothing to say about any slim change of anyone coming to an agreement to end all this.

 

Taylor Swift To Blake LivelyDinner For Two …But Not With You!!!

 

 

 

Taylor Swift and Blake Lively look like they are still on the outs … because they both went out Tuesday night in New York City … and Taylor was with a different blonde friend.

Check out these photos of the former besties, doing their separate things in the Big Apple … Taylor’s venturing out with fellow musician Este Haim, and Blake is promoting her brand at a holiday pop-up.

Getty

Taylor and her gal pal broke bread at Chez Margaux in the Meatpacking District … while Blake looked festive at an event in the West Village for her Blake Brown haircare brand’s collab with Stoney Clover Lane.

Taylor and Blake used to be super close, but their relationship fell apart when Blake dragged Taylor’s name into her legal beef with Justin Baldoni … and things haven’t been the same since.

The former BFFs were only about a 10-minute walk away during their respective nights out … but they seem to be worlds apart right now.

 

 

 

‘It Ends With Us’ Author Colleen Hoover Is ‘Almost Embarrassed to Say I Wrote’ the Book After Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni Legal Battle

Colleen Hoover isn’t happy with how it ended.

Hoover, who wrote the bestseller “It Ends With Us,” has addressed the controversy surrounding the 2024 film adaptation of her novel, starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, saying the conflict between the two actors was “unfortunate” and “disappointing.”

“It Ends With Us” was a sleeper hit with $350 million globally, but the film became a lightning rod for drama due to disputes between Lively and Baldoni — who also directed the film for Sony Pictures. Months after the movie was released, Lively filed a lawsuit to accuse Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios of sexual harassment and retaliation, alleging the director and producers had launched a smear campaign against her after she complained about on-set conditions. A trial for Lively’s suit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios is scheduled for March 2026. Baldoni has denied the allegations and filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively.

“It feels like a circus,” Hoover said in an interview with Elle magazine. “When there are real people involved, with real feelings and emotions. This actually truly has impacted some of the actors’ careers in huge ways. And I just find it all around sad.”

 

Hoover served as an executive producer on “It Ends With Us” and visited the set but was “completely unaware that anything was happening” between Baldoni and Lively at the time. She’s now preparing to give a deposition for the case within a few weeks; otherwise, she’s trying to “stay removed from the negativity.”

“I have my own story I could tell, but I don’t want to bring attention to it, and I don’t want to have to put someone else down to lift myself up,” she told Elle. “So I’d rather just ignore it and let people think and say what they’re going to say. I feel like it’s so big at this point that there’s nothing anyone can say to change whatever opinion people have of it, even though no one has the actual truth. Not even me.”

After this experience, Hoover admits she has mixed feelings about the novel, which was based on her mother’s life. The story, which deals with domestic violence, follows a flower shop owner whose charming neurosurgeon husband gets physically abusive with her.

“The book was inspired by her story, and now it gives us PTSD to think about it,” Hoover said of her mom. “I feel awful because I almost feel like she’s gone through more with the aftermath of this film, more pain than she went through with my dad, just seeing the ugliness of it.”

Hoover revealed she’s now “almost embarrassed” to tell people she wrote “It Ends With Us,” but hopes she’ll feel differently once the trial concludes.

“I can’t even recommend it anymore. I feel like [the lawsuit] has overshadowed it,” the author said. “I’m almost embarrassed to say I wrote it. When people ask what I do, I’m just like, ‘I’m a writer. Please don’t ask me what I wrote.’ The more time that passes, the easier everything gets for all of us. But it is sad, because I was very proud of that book. And I’m still proud of it, but less publicly so. Maybe I need therapy, I don’t know.”

Despite the drama, Hoover has become a major force in Hollywood. An adaptation of her book “Regretting You” was released by Paramount in October and grossed $82 million to date. Two of her other novels, “Verity” and “Reminders of Him,” are being adapted by Amazon MGM and Universal, respectively, for theatrical release in 2026.

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