Blake Lively calls out Justin Baldoni’s legal tactics, accuses his team of staging 'Public spectacle'

Blake Lively called out Justin Baldoni and his legal team for creating a public spectacle about her upcoming deposition, which is scheduled to take place on July 18. Lively's legal team had filed a motion to have the deposition in an undisclosed location and to have all the attendees identified beforehand. This comes on the heels of recent statements made by Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, who said that the deposition should be held at Madison Square Garden in New York. Speaking to People, he said, “Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organisations helping victims of domestic abuse."

Timeline of the Lively-Baldoni legal dispute

The legal conflict began when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in December, alleging “disturbing” and “unprofessional” behaviour on the set of It Ends With Us, as well as accusing him of launching a retaliatory smear campaign. Baldoni has denied the claims and responded in January by filing a countersuit for defamation and extortion against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

However, Baldoni's countersuit against the couple and the public was dismissed by the judge in June, leading to his legal team submitting an amended version of the claims. The trial has also led to a rift forming between Lively and her friend Taylor Swift, who was subpoenaed by Baldoni's team in the trial but was later withdrawn.

Lively expected to testify at trial

Speaking about the upcoming deposition with People, Lively’s lawyer, Mike Gottlieb, shared:

“The ultimate moment for a plaintiff's story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here with Lively. So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course, she’s going to testify."

The trial between Lively and Baldoni is scheduled to begin in March 2026, with both sides preparing for what is expected to be a highly publicised legal battle.