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NEED TO KNOW
Justin Baldoni appeared in court for a separate lawsuit against former publicist Stephanie Jones
Blake Lively is not involved in that case
Baldoni and Lively failed to reach a settlement in her sexual harassment lawsuit against her It Ends With Us costar after a six-hour mediation session on Wednesday
Justin Baldoniis back in court — but not for the case involvingBlake Lively.
Baldoni, 42, appeared in New York federal court on Thursday alongside hiswife, Emily, for a court-mandatory settlement conference tied to his ongoing litigation against his former publicist, Stephanie Jones.
Lively, 38, is not a party to this lawsuit and did not attend the hearing.
Jones first sued Baldoni and his crisis communications team in December 2024,alleging breach of contract and other claims, marking the start of what has since grown into a wide-ranging legal dispute involving multiple parties.
Then, in March 2025, Baldoni and his publicist Jennifer Abel filed their own lawsuit against Jones, alleging she violated client confidentiality by sharing private communications.
According to the filing, those communications later became central evidence in a separate lawsuit brought by Lively.
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Baldoni's latest court appearance comes a day afterhe and Lively failed to reach a settlement in their own ongoing legal battle.
The former costars attended a mandated mediation session in federal court in connection with Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni.
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The conference lasted approximately six hours before Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave, but the parties did not reach a resolution, a source confirmed to PEOPLE.
Settlement conferences are a standard part of federal civil litigation and are designed to determine whether a case can be resolved without going to trial.
The judge presiding over the case, Lewis J. Liman, has not yet ruled onBaldoni's pending motion for summary judgment.
Baldoni's attorney,Bryan Freedman, confirmed that no deal had been reached. When asked whether he expects the case — Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al. — to go to trial, he said, "I do. We're looking forward to it," according toVariety.
Lively and Baldoni's legal dispute began in December 2024,when Lively filed a suit against the actor-director, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni has denied the allegations and later filed a $400 million countersuit, which has since been dismissed.Lively has alleged she lost $161 millionas a result of what she describes as a retaliatory smear campaign.
A trial is currently scheduled for May 18.
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