Blake lively to testify in court as legal battle with Justin Baldoni escalates
Blake Lively is set to take the witness stand during the forthcoming trial against actor-director Justin Baldoni, her legal team confirmed this week. The explosive case, which has attracted significant public attention, centres on Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation by Baldoni during the production of their 2024 film It Ends with Us.
Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, released a joint statement on thursday asserting that the actress fully intends to testify. “This is a case about what happened to blake lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on set and the retaliation that followed. Of course she will testify,” the lawyers told CNN.
The legal saga began in december, when Lively first filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, alleging inappropriate conduct by Baldoni during filming. That complaint was followed by a formal lawsuit roughly a week later. In the complaint, Lively also claimed that Baldoni and his PR team orchestrated a calculated smear campaign against her to damage her public image, particularly as the film neared its release.
Gottlieb reiterated the importance of Lively’s testimony in the trial scheduled for march 2026. “The ultimate moment for a plaintiff’s story to be told is at trial,” he said. “We would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial.”
When contacted for comment, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman responded pointedly: “Although obviously uncomfortable for the Lively parties, the truth is not a distraction. The truth has been clearly shown through unedited receipts, documents and real life footage.”
In an amended complaint filed earlier this year, Lively claimed that other women also came forward with complaints about Baldoni’s conduct on set, further bolstering her case. However, Baldoni has consistently denied all allegations. In a previous statement, Freedman said, “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”
A separate legal thread in the case involves Lively’s husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. He was named as a co-defendant in a $400 million defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni in January. The lawsuit accuses Reynolds of helping Lively “hijack” It Ends with Us, allegedly rewriting scenes and making unauthorised changes to the script without any formal role in the production. Baldoni also claimed Reynolds reprimanded him at the couple’s home and mocked him through the character “Nicepool” in the forthcoming Deadpool & Wolverine.
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Gottlieb, while stopping short of confirming whether Reynolds would testify, described Baldoni’s claims against the actor as “frivolous.” In march, Gottlieb filed a request to dismiss Reynolds from the suit altogether, stating that the accusations amount to little more than “hurt feelings.” Should Reynolds be removed as a defendant, he “may or may not be a fact witness” at trial, Gottlieb added.
Additionally, Lively’s legal team indicated that other witnesses will testify in her support, including individuals who either witnessed or personally experienced misconduct on set. These witnesses are expected to offer corroborative accounts relevant to Lively’s claims.
Baldoni, who directed and starred alongside Lively in the film, has also filed a separate libel suit against The New York Times, alleging it published an article in January containing “inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions” related to Lively’s complaint. A spokesperson for the Times responded by stating that the publication would “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
With both parties refusing to consider an out-of-court settlement, the legal confrontation is set to play out in a high-profile trial in march 2026 — one that promises to be both dramatic and closely watched.
