Justin Baldoni Is 'Devastated Financially and Emotionally' by Blake Lively Legal Battle, Says His Lawyer

Justin Baldoni is “devastated” over his legal battle with It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively, according to his lawyer.

During a Monday, Feb. 3 pre-trial conference hashing out Lively's prospective request for a gag order amid lawsuits from both sides, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman provided insight into current circumstances for Baldoni and his associates.

Freedman said his “clients are devastated financially and emotionally.” In addition to Baldoni, Freedman’s clients include It Ends With Us producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz, their production company Wayfarer Studios and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.

Additionally, Freedman said at one point, "Not to sound like a 4-year-old fighting a 4-year-old with ‘they started it,’ but in these kinds of cases, once someone says something it becomes fact: There’s no way to fight against it."

Related: The Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Lawsuits, Explained: A Complete Breakdown of the Allegations, Key Players and Who's Said What

Baldoni, on Jan. 16, countered with a lawsuit against Lively, 37, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicists. That $400 million lawsuit, accusing Lively’s side of civil extortion, defamation and more, followed Lively’s bombshell complaint against Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Baldoni’s team also sued The New York Times over an article reporting on Lively’s complaint.

In her complaint, Lively said Baldoni's alleged behavior both while making the movie and during its promotion caused her "grief, fear, trauma and extreme anxiety." She is seeking unspecified damages for “intentional infliction of emotional distress” and “interference” in her businesses, including Blake Brown haircare company, per the filing.

In a statement to the Times on Dec. 20, the Gossip Girl alum said, "I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted."

Related: Why Did Justin Baldoni Launch Website Linking to Updated Complaint amid Blake Lively Legal Battle? An Expert Explains (Exclusive)

Arguing for any potential gag order to be denied, Baldoni's lawyers previously said in a letter to the judge that he and his Wayfarer Studios associates have been "exiled from polite society and suffered damages totaling hundreds of millions of dollars" following the release of her complaint. Baldoni faced "utterly calamitous" fallout, it continued, and the associates "instantly became objects of public scorn and contempt."

In an article reporting on Pac-Man, one of Baldoni’s upcoming projects with Wayfarer Studios, sources close to the filmmaker told The Hollywood Reporter he has “lost three jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars.”

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The Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al. case is now scheduled for March 2026. At the pre-trial conference, New York Judge Lewis Liman warned both legal teams to refrain from making statements to the press that could influence a jury.

“We are pleased with the result of today’s hearing and eager to move forward immediately with discovery in this case,” said Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, in a statement. “The court granted our request that all attorneys in the matter actually follow the rule of law and not make any statements that could prejudice a jury.”

Baldoni’s lawyers have leaked to the press video footage from the It Ends With Us set and launched a website, thelawsuitinfo.com, linking to his legal documents.

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