Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni Trial Delayed

Despite insisting on her “day in court,” Blake Lively has made it quite clear she isn’t interested in settling her sexual harassment and online smear campaign lawsuit against "It Ends With Us" director and co-star Justin Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios team, a judge has postponed the long-set start of the high-profile trial and urged them to reach a deal.

Amidst a discovery hearing in New York City on Tuesday, Judge Lewis Liman informed the attorneys for Lively and Baldoni that “as important as this case is,” he had to postpone the March 9, 2026, civil trial date because “criminal trials take precedent” in the jam-packed court system.

The trial is now scheduled to begin on May 18.

Looking at the burdens on the judicial process, Liman on Monday also ordered the respective legal teams for the "Another Simple Favor" actress and the "Jane the Virgin" regular to seek a potential settlement in their big-bucks and brazen-headlines matter. To that, he instructed the parties to reach out to Magistrate Judge Sarah Cave in the coming weeks to see if they can kick-start that process.

As it stands, with Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit over what really occurred during the making of the Sony-distributed movie and alleged preemptive retaliation against Lively in the lead-up to its August 2024 premiere kicked to the curb earlier this year, Lively is asking for damages in the realm of $500 million for damages to her reputation, brand businesses, and stress on her and Ryan Reynolds‘ family.

Termed by Liman as a “feud between PR films,” the accusations of misconduct on IEWU and a digital attack on Lively by Baldoni in the aftermath first officially came into public view with the actress’ December 20, 2024, filed California Civil Rights Department complaint. 

Lots of spinoff lawsuits and Lively’s own complaint in the federal court in the Empire State followed, as did efforts to drag Lively's pal Taylor Swift into the legal quicksand.

The next significant date in this bitter and messy dispute is January 22, during which lawyers will argue before Liman on Baldoni and Wayfarer’s November filed summary judgment to have the case dismissed.

Lively, as made obvious in a recent response filing, is opposed to such an end to the case. Baldoni is expected to file a response of his own to Lively’s opposition by the end of this week, just in time for the start of the holidays.