It starts with a delay. The civil trial between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has been postponed for two months, belaboring an already laborious process. Originally scheduled to start March 9, 2026, the It Ends With Us trial now starts on May 18, per People. Judge Lewis J. Liman of the Southern District of New York explained that two criminal trials that “take precedent” over a civil trial. The next hearing is on January 22, and Judge Liman reportedly told the parties at a post-discovery hearing on December 9 to talk about settlements, if needed. Considering this back-and-forth has been going on for about a year, it seems unlikely.
Lively sued her It Ends With Us co-star and director as well as his production company in December 2024 for emotional distress and retaliation. Several months after the film’s release, a rumor-filled press tour had led fans to pit Lively and Baldoni against each other. In the lawsuit, Lively claims that Baldoni and his team spearheaded a smear campaign against her as retaliation for reporting alleged sexual harassment against him. He filed a countersuit against Lively around the same time, but it was dismissed by a judge in June 2025. It’ll be another six months to find out how this all ends, at which point, Colleen Hoover will have had two more movie adaptations come out.
