Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni trial postponed as judge encourages both parties to reach a settlement

Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends with Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni won’t be going to trial until May 2026.

The two were originally expected to face off in civil court beginning March 9, 2026. However, during a post-discovery hearing held Tuesday, New York federal judge Lewis J. Liman informed both parties that the date was being pushed back to May 18.

According to People, Judge Liman explained that he has two criminal trials coming up, and “as important as this case is … criminal trials take precedent.”

Lively, who led the 2024 romantic drama based on Colleen Hoover’s best-selling 2016 novel, sued Baldoni in January, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her, after going public with allegations of misconduct on set.

Baldoni denied the allegations and later countersued the Gossip Girl star and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for allegedly attempting to “destroy” his reputation and career. His lawsuit was officially dismissed last month after he failed to submit an amended complaint by an October deadline.

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Baldoni recently requested that the court dismiss Lively’s lawsuit against him, with his legal team arguing that Lively “cannot prove any actionable sexual harassment,” adding that “no reasonable jury” would find him guilty.

Lively’s legal team responded to the Defense team’s claims in a filing of their own, accusing Baldoni and his co-defendants of trying to “deny Blake Lively her day in court, by throwing the kitchen sink at Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims.”

“In their latest effort to avoid accountability for the hostile environment they created during the production and marketing of It Ends With Us, Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, and their co-defendants ask this Court to shield them from trial,” read a heavily redacted 72-page filing.

It also alleged that “when confronted with complaints, [the Defendants] abandoned Wayfarer’s policies by refusing to investigate the concerns,” adding: “Defendants’ campaign to transform Lively — a mother of four with decades of experience in the industry who simply sought a safe and respectful workplace — into a ‘bully’ who ‘took over’ Baldoni’s Film is not a defense to harassment, retaliation, defamation, or any claim Lively has advanced.”

Baldoni’s lawyers did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

Directed by and co-starring Baldoni, It Ends with Us is about a flower shop owner (Lively), who becomes romantically involved with a charismatic yet abusive neurosurgeon (Baldoni).