Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni head to court: Here's all we know about the case ahead of the trial

Blake Lively, best known for starring in the series 'Gossip Girl' and films like 'The Town' and 'The Shallows', is taking her co-star and director Justin Baldoni to trial. The two worked together on 'It Ends With Us', a film adapted from Colleen Hoover's best-selling 2016 novel. After almost 18 months of legal battles, Blake Lively's civil case against Justin Baldoni's production company is heading to court in New York, with the trial set to begin on May 18.

According to Sky News, Blake Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and a targeted smear campaign. While the sexual harassment claims were dismissed, the case now focuses on retaliation claims against Baldoni's production company, Wayfarer. Both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are expected to testify at the trial.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni starred together in 'It Ends With Us', which explores themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse. Justin Baldoni also directed the film. The release was shrouded by reports of discord on set. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni did not promote the film together, which quickly led to online speculation about a suspected rift between them.

Justin Baldoni countersued Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. He sought at least $400m in damages against Blake Lively.

However, a New York district court judge dismissed his case against Blake Lively in June 2025. The judge ruled that Justin Baldoni could not sue Blake Lively for defamation over claims made in a legal complaint, as allegations in lawsuits are exempt from libel claims.

In January, messages and emails sent by Blake Lively, including exchanges with longtime friend Taylor Swift, were made public in legal filings by Baldoni's lawyers. The messages revealed discussions about using Taylor Swift's song 'My Tears Ricochet' in the 'It Ends With Us' trailer.

Justin Baldoni's legal team argued the messages show Blake Lively was strategically manipulating his public image by leveraging connections with powerful and famous friends. However, Lively's attorney stated that Blake Lively did everything she could to protect her friends from being brought into the case.

The trial is set to begin on May 18, and both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are expected to testify. The case is taking place in federal court, where cameras are not allowed, so the trial is unlikely to be televised.

Blake Lively is seeking compensatory damages between $142m and $297m. Justin Baldoni's lawyers contend that any public relations efforts made around the film's release are "not actionable as retaliation, because they were undertaken as reasonable defensive measures."