Blake Lively's $161 Million Battle Against Justin Baldoni Suffers Delay

The timeline for the legal brawl between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has been extended.

The actress is suing her former co-star for sexual misconduct and is demanding that $161 million be paid for personal and financial losses. The actor strives to shut down the case entirely by calling BS on her claims.  The scuffle has since made headlines and even dragged other celebrities into the mix.

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni worked together on the set of the hit movie, "It Ends with Us." Due to the legal drama, their careers and private businesses have been affected. The author Colleen Hoover has also felt the heat, being thrown some negativity.

A New York federal judge has ruled that the sexual harassment trial between Baldoni and Lively would resume at a later date. The new trial is now slated to begin on May 8 instead of March 9. This delay is due to the number of criminal cases already on the calendar.

Judge Lewis Liman said there are two criminal trials already set for March 2026, and thus, the court cannot accommodate this case. According to Judge Liman, even though this case is also very important, criminal trials take precedence.

The Daily Mail shares that the judge also referred both parties to have settlement talks with a magistrate judge. Both Lively and Baldoni have previously indicated their desire to go through with the case and move to trial.

Lively's lawyer did indicate that the newly scheduled date might be an issue for him, as he had a trial due to start in Texas. Judge Liman also ruled that some personal details, such as the phone numbers and email addresses of both parties, would be sealed.

The legal battle started when Lively sued Baldoni, claiming sexual harassment on the set of "It Ends with Us," which he both directed and starred in.

She then demanded $161 million as compensation for damages, both personal and financial losses caused by the alleged retaliation and campaign against her, which she claims tarnished her image.

The actor clapped back with a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, but a Judge dismissed it. Baldoni is not backing down either. He is striving to get the whole case thrown out, arguing that it stems from bad blood, citing that there were minor grievances but not escalated to the level of harassment.

As per Lively's legal reps, she lost more than $56.2 million in past and future earnings from business ventures, including acting, producing, and speaking engagements. This has caused some setbacks in her career and has also affected her brands.

Her lawsuit extends to producer Jamey Heath, studio head Steve Sarowitz, and their publicists for the smear campaign she claims they launched against her.

In Lively's disclosure, she included a long list of celebrities who might have critical information to back up her claims. Notably, the popular singer Taylor Swift has been repeatedly mentioned.

The Blast shared that the actress and the singer were jolly good friends, but this ended when the scuffle with Baldoni started. Lively tried to depose Swift in the case, but she washed her hands clean of the drama.

In a deposition, Baldoni revealed that he feared that Lively would make a "Taylor Swift playbook" move, meaning that she would try to play the victim in the situation.

As the details of the disclosure became unsealed, the documents showed other entertainers who Lively believed could be potential witnesses to her case.

The actress went big with naming influential people in the industry, such as Gigi Hadid, Hugh Jackman, and Sony Pictures chairman Tony Vinciquerra, amongst others.

The Taylor Swift move was not only his greatest concern. The actor previously remarked that Lively might have a "nuclear bomb" up her sleeve. He also often cited how influential she is and how her powerful presence would favor her. 

In previous filings, Baldoni referred to the actress' husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Swift as her dragons and noted that they were ready to make things difficult for him right from when they were filming the show.

The Blast shared a statement he made while speaking on the matter during a deposition. He said that he was a small person in the industry dealing with a titan, and with her connections, he had concerns about what could happen.

"It Ends with Us" is a movie based on a book written by the popular adult fiction writer Colleen Hoover. Due to Lively's allegations, the book, its author, and the film have faced some negativity.

Initially, Hoover sided with Lively, but after some time, she decided it was best to remain neutral and free from the legal drama. Hoover was not only the author, but she also served as an executive producer for the show.

She revealed that while on set, she was completely unaware that anything like that was happening. She also shared that she was not always present during filming but was displeased that such unfortunate and disappointing claims even allegedly existed, as shared by The Blast.

Despite her personal opinions, she maintained that she would rather not pick sides that fuel the drama. The lawsuit had also affected her relationship with the book, which she was really proud of before.

Will Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni listen to the judge and settle?