Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni may have worn matching looks to their closed-door court-ordered settlement conference, but they couldn’t coordinate with each other on a deal. On Wednesday, they came face-to-face for Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against the director, but after reaching a stalemate, it looks like they are going to trial.
Hours after they were snapped entering the courthouse in olive green looks, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, said attempts to reach a deal were “unsuccessful,” per Deadline. They exited the courthouse around 1 pm, according to the outlet. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave oversaw the session.
The attorney spoke outside Manhattan’s Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States courthouse, and while he said “there’s always a chance” of a settlement, he said he didn’t “know that we will.” Freedman instead said he is “looking forward” to the May 18th scheduled trial.
© The Grosby GroupJustin entered the courtroom with his wife, Emily Baldoni, while Lively entered alone. Likely a deliberate decision on both ends. The Gossip Girl star has been dealing with backlash after referring to her husband and Taylor Swift as her “dragons,” so entering solo was probably the best move.
© The Grosby GroupWho wore it best?
Their courtroom outfits went viral online, with what seemed like color-coordinated looks.
© The Grosby GroupThey both wore earthy neutrals, with Lively wearing an oversized olive suit layered over a soft pink button-down and green button-down shirt, and red bottom stilettos.
© The Grosby GroupAs for Balconi, he mirrored the look in an olive coat paired with a light pink scarf, and grey trousers with leather boots. His wife wore a similar look, wearing a khaki coat, beige sweater dress, brown heeled boots, and a matching scarf.
The appearance marked the first time the two have been in court simultaneously since Lively filed her lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, now totaling $550 million.
The latest courthouse moment comes after Judge Lewis Liman unsealed a massive trove of documents, including internal emails, voice memos, and text messages.
From a Sony executive calling the actress a “terrorist” to Lively’s 4-minute voice memo she sent to Baldoni, the release made for a media storm.
There were text messages between Lively and A-listers like Matt Damon and even Ben Affleck. But the ones that went the most viral were between her and her former bestie, Swift.
The texts from 2023 and 2024 include conversations like Lively asking Swift for a “huge favor,” explaining, “I need help with him.” “Can you tell him you are excited for the movie. That you read the book, but what you’re freaking out over is the [script] pages I sent you. What a magnetic scene that is. Or whatever descriptives you’re comfortable [with],” she wrote.
Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds in June. The judge has yet to issue a ruling on the summary judgment motions or determine whether any portion of Lively’s claims will be dismissed.
Until then, it feels like this really will never end.
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