Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds seek dismissal of Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit according to a new report by Deadline. Lawyers representing both Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are set to appear in court this Monday as Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, have informed a federal judge that they will seek to have Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit dismissed. The judge has yet to set a deadline for the dismissal motion.

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Lively and Baldoni co-starred in It Ends With Us, a film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel, which Baldoni also directed. Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and attempting to damage her reputation after she spoke out about his alleged misconduct.

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Baldoni’s Countersuit

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Baldoni has denied the allegations, claiming that Lively took text messages between them out of context and misrepresented their interactions. He also alleges that Reynolds pressured his talent agency, WME, to drop him as a client—a claim that WME has denied.

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Judge Lewis Liman has not yet set a trial date but has indicated that proceedings could begin in March. Both parties have agreed to merge their respective federal cases into a single trial.

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Monday’s hearing: Key issues to be addressed

At Monday’s hearing, both sides are expected to debate whether Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has engaged in improper extrajudicial activity. Lively has accused Freedman of making defamatory statements about her to the press, potentially influencing jurors. Freedman, however, argues that he must protect his client’s reputation.

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Another key issue concerns Lively’s deposition. While she is expected to be deposed soon, she has refused to be questioned by Freedman due to his public statements. Baldoni’s legal team, however, insists that she cannot dictate which of his attorneys handle the deposition. Kevin Fritz, another attorney for Baldoni, stated, “Parties to litigation simply do not have the right to dictate which of their opponents’ attorneys may or may not take their deposition or perform any other aspect of the opposing party’s case.”

The court will address this dispute during Monday’s hearing.