The legal war between It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni and co-star Blake Lively is intensifying, with Baldoni’s attorneys accusing the actress of trying to leverage her fame to control the narrative — and even the logistics — of the lawsuit.
The Fight Over Deposition Location
Blake Lively, 37, recently filed a motion requesting that her deposition be held at her attorney’s office rather than at Baldoni’s legal team’s premises, citing concerns about paparazzi exposure, media intrusion, and potential security risks. She argued that attending the deposition at Baldoni’s office would likely turn into a public spectacle due to her high profile.
However, Baldoni’s legal team responded sharply, dismissing the motion as “foot-stomping” and accusing the Gossip Girl alum of exploiting her celebrity status. They argued that the offices are less than a mile apart, so her concerns were not supported by evidence or logistics.
“Although Lively’s foot-stomping and use of her celebrity status may have enabled her to seize control of the film, which is the crux of this dispute, her counsel’s tantrum has no place in this Court,” the team wrote in their filing.
A Battle of Optics
This comes after Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, previously suggested holding the deposition in public — even joking about staging it at Madison Square Garden and selling tickets to benefit domestic abuse charities. That comment was met with outrage from Lively’s camp, who said it reduced a serious sexual harassment case to spectacle.
“Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has tried to make this matter a public spectacle at every turn,” Lively’s rep said. “This is a serious matter of sexual harassment and retaliation and it deserves to be treated as such.”
Lively’s Legal Concerns
Blake’s team accused Baldoni’s side of weaponizing her deposition, claiming they aim to “manufacture a harassing publicity stunt” by potentially involving media figures or influencers and forcing her to walk through paparazzi.
They called the request to hold her deposition privately a “reasonable request to prevent the risk of annoyance, harassment, and verbal or physical threats.”
The Bigger Picture
This latest exchange is part of a broader legal clash that began after Blake filed a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni, with allegations stemming from their work on the upcoming film It Ends With Us. While Baldoni responded with counterclaims of defamation and extortion — those were dismissed by the court last month.
Now, with a trial date set for March 2026, both camps are ramping up their legal and PR tactics. The back-and-forth has turned a private matter into one of the most high-profile and contentious celebrity legal battles in recent years.
Whether this ends in a courtroom or a quiet settlement, one thing is clear: both Blake and Justin are digging in for a long and public fight.
