Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle kicks off with pre-trial hearing

Pre-trial proceedings have officially begun in the ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and her co-star, Justin Baldoni, from the movie It Ends With Us.

According to Rolling Stone, the actress Blake Lively has accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on set and claims he orchestrated a smear campaign against her during the film’s press tour.

In a recent pre-trial conference held at the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, both legal teams presented their arguments, with Judge Lewis Liman presiding over the case.

Though neither Blake Lively nor Justin Baldoni attended the hearing, their legal representatives were present to discuss significant concerns, particularly related to the ongoing publicity campaigns that could influence the jury pool.

Blake Lively’s lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, raised an issue about the statements made by Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman.

Blake Lively’s team contends that Freedman’s comments have been amplified on social media, which could potentially affect the fairness of the trial.

Furthermore, Freedman has accused Blake Lively’s legal team of playing a role in the publication of the bombshell New York Times article detailing the harassment allegations against Justin Baldoni.

In response, Judge Liman noted that Freedman lacked sufficient evidence to link Blake Lively’s lawyer to the article.

Justin Baldoni has also filed a lawsuit against The New York Times for defamation and privacy violations, but now plans to consolidate that case into a broader defamation lawsuit.

As both sides continue to accuse one another of manipulating the media, Judge Liman has warned both legal teams to refrain from making statements that could influence the public’s opinion.

He reminded them of the New York State Unified Court System rules, which prohibit any extrajudicial comments that could prejudice the case. He also hinted that if these media distractions continue, the trial date could be moved up.

Blake Lively’s legal team has emphasised that the case could continue to escalate if press coverage remains a key factor in the proceedings.

The judge has made it clear that unless a settlement is reached, a jury will ultimately decide the outcome of this high-profile case.