Blake Lively has notched a major legal win in her ongoing court battle with Justin Baldoni.
A federal judge has granted the actress’ motion to strike her nearly 300-page deposition transcript from the court docket, siding with her claims that Baldoni’s team made the document public for no legitimate legal reason.
On July 31 in New York City, Lively, 37, sat for a deposition about her dispute with Baldoni, 41, and his Wayfarer Studios team over their 2024 movie It Ends With Us. Just days later, her lawyers moved to have the 292-page rough draft transcript, filed under seal, removed from the public docket. They argued that Baldoni’s side uploaded it as part of a media campaign, not for any valid litigation purpose.
Judge Lewis J. Liman agreed. On August 8, he ruled in Lively’s favor, criticizing the Wayfarer defendants for attaching the entire deposition transcript when they had cited only two pages. He wrote that the move appeared intended to burden Lively, fuel speculation, and invite scandal rather than advance the legal case. The judge said the court had both the power and the responsibility to intervene.
Lively’s legal team had also accused Baldoni’s side of leaking details of the deposition to TMZ and The Daily Mail, framing it as a “face-to-face showdown” between the two former co-stars. Baldoni’s attorneys denied the accusation, saying Lively’s camp offered no proof of the source of the leak.
Baldoni’s lawyers pushed back on her motion to strike, questioning why she would want to hide her own testimony in a case where she is the plaintiff. But in a statement to People on August 7, a spokesperson for Lively said they were pleased with the result and eager to depose Baldoni and other co-defendants soon. The spokesperson emphasized that deposition testimony is confidential for a reason, because it is evidence subject to objections and evidentiary rules, and is meant to be presented at trial under a judge’s supervision, not handed to the public.
This latest decision is another chapter in a bitter legal feud that began in December, when Lively filed a sexual-harassment complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of misconduct on set and orchestrating a retaliatory smear campaign. Baldoni has denied the allegations. In June, Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, which had accused the couple of extortion, defamation, and other claims.
Both Lively and Baldoni are expected to take the stand when the trial begins in March 2026 in New York. For now, the removal of her deposition transcript marks a clear procedural win for Lively in a case that continues to draw headlines and stir up Hollywood.
Jamie Wells has a knack for getting the inside scoop on Hollywood’s biggest stars and up-and-coming talent. With a sharp eye for industry trends and an ear for viral moments, Jamie covers everything from red-carpet events to behind-the-scenes drama in movies, TV, and celebrity culture.
