Blake Lively comes face-to-face with Justin Baldoni in day-long deposition; 'It Ends With Us' star questioned under oath on sexual harassment allegations
Blake Lively
and 'It Ends With Us' actor-director
Justin Baldoni
came face-to-face for the first time since their messy legal battle which set off a wave of lawsuits began last December.
The Deposition
According to TMZ, Baldoni was physically present in the room during Lively's deposition, which forms an integral part of the ongoing legal battle.
The deposition was held behind closed doors in a private setting, with only attorneys from both parties, a court reporter, and a videographer in attendance.
ABC News confirmed the testimony will be sealed and will not be released to the public.
Questioned Under Oath
Reports further state that Lively sat for the all-day deposition on July 31, where she was questioned under oath by Baldoni's attorneys about her allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation during the production of the film.
The actress in her original complaint, filed in December 2024, had accused the director of engaging in inappropriate behaviour during filming, including discussing his sex life, making comments about her body, and improvising intimate scenes without prior agreement. Baldoni, on the other hand, claimed that Lively, her husband
Ryan Reynolds
, and her publicist engaged in a coordinated effort to destroy his reputation and filed a $400 million defamation countersuit.
The Legal Drama
That lawsuit was dismissed in early June by Judge Lewis J. Liman, who ruled that Lively's statements were protected from defamation claims. A separate $250 million libel suit against The New York Times was also dismissed.
Following the dismissal of Baldoni's lawsuits, Freedman indicated that his client would not be refiling the defamation claims and would instead focus on challenging Lively's sexual harassment allegations in court.
Prior to the deposition, Baldoni's attorney Freedman made headlines for suggesting it be held "at Madison Square Garden, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organisations helping victims of domestic abuse.'
Upcoming Hearing
Freedman has since confirmed that Baldoni will take the stand during the trial, which is scheduled for March 2026. Lively's attorney, Mike Gottlieb, has also confirmed that she will testify during the proceedings.
Cameras will, however, not be allowed in the courtroom.
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