Justin Baldoni Attends Blake Lively's Deposition in Surprise Move
Justin Baldoni sat in the room for Blake Lively's deposition on Thursday, July 31, according to a report from TMZ
Lively has accused her It Ends With Us director-costar Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation, which he has denied
Baldoni's lawyer previously called him a "person who wants to be vindicated, and that's all that he cares about"Justin Baldoni reportedly chose to attend Blake Lively's deposition in person as their It Ends With Us legal battle proceeds.
According to TMZ, sources told the outlet that Baldoni, 41, sat in the room as Lively, 37, was questioned by his lawyers inside her attorneys' office in New York City on Thursday, July 31.
Judge Lewis J. Liman previously granted a protective order that allowed Lively's team to dictate where the deposition was held and to be notified in advance who would be present.
Reps for Baldoni and Lively did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's requests for comment.
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Lively has accused her director-costar Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation, which he has denied. His counterclaims against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, allegations of extortion and defamation, were dismissed by Judge Liman, and Baldoni's lawyers opted not to refile amended versions of those claims.
In June, Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni, told TMZ about his strategy for the deposition, saying, "I'm gonna ask her questions under penalty of perjury, and she's gonna have to provide evidence, and she's gonna have to provide the truth of the stories. ... We're gonna see how consistent her testimony is with the actual facts of what transpired."
Freedman said in the same interview that Baldoni is "a person who wants to be vindicated, and that's all that he cares about."
Baldoni "knows who he is," said the lawyer. "He knows what he's done. He knows what he hasn't done. And he wants the truth to come out, and he wants to do that in the appropriate way. ... He's waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth."
Their trial is currently set for March 2026, and attorneys for both Lively and Baldoni have indicated that they plan to testify.
After Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against her was dismissed in June, Lively spoke out in a statement, saying, "Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us."
Lively added that she was "more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman's right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story."
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