CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
Blake Lively’s witness list for her upcoming trial against her It Ends With Us costar and director, Justin Baldoni, includes her husband, Ryan Reynolds, former castmates and more.
Lively’s legal team filed a pretrial motion on Saturday, April 11, listing out all of the witnesses who are expected to testify when proceedings begin early next month.
Lively, 38, and Reynolds, 49, are the first individuals listed to take the stand, where court docs obtained by Us Weekly reveal that the couple will recall Baldoni’s alleged “misconduct related to the film, post-production of the film, the film’s promotion and marketing campaign.”
Lively starred as Lily Bloom in 2024’s It Ends With Us. Nearly four months after the film’s August release, Lively named Baldoni, 42, in a lawsuit where she accused the director of sexual harassment and allegedly trying to ruin her reputation via a coordinated media campaign. Baldoni vehemently denied the accusations, filing a defamation lawsuit in response. Baldoni’s suit was dismissed last year.
Blake Lively Will Testify in Upcoming Justin Baldoni Trial, Her Lawyer Confirms
Earlier this month, a judge ruled to dismiss 10 of Lively’s complaints, including claims of harassment, defamation and conspiracy. The remaining counts will be heard in trial.
“I am grateful for the Court’s ruling which allows the heart of my case to be presented to a jury next month, and for the ability to finally tell my story in full at trial, for my own sake, but also for those who don’t have the same opportunity to … many of whom I have known and loved deeply in my life,” Lively said in an April 3 statement shared via social media, addressing the ruling. “The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit, but I brought this case because of the pervasive RETALIATION I faced, and continued to, for privately and professionally asking for a safe working environment for myself and others.”
In addition to Lively and Reynolds, Baldoni will take the stand alongside producer Jamey Heath and crisis PR exec Melissa Nathan. Lively’s publicist, Leslie Sloane, and the Gossip Girl alum’s sister, Robyn Lively, as well as her It Ends With Us costars Isabela Ferrer and Jenny Slate are also expected to deliver testimonies. Colleen Hoover, who wrote the novel that the film was adapted from, is set to be deposed outside of the courtroom.
Baldoni has continued to deny Lively’s claims and his lawyer issued a statement after a handful of the complaints were dismissed.
“Neither Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath nor any of the other defendants have engaged in the sexual harassment of Blake Lively,” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman said in an April 3 statement. “Despite our clients being accused of DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) in defending these claims and despite our client being referred to in writing as a predator, what I said, on behalf of our client’s day one and every day since then is true. Our clients are very good people who have not engaged in this sexual harassment as alleged. As such, they have deserved a vigorous defense which was led through transparency.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
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