Overview
- Lawyers for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni spent Tuesday in Manhattan arguing over expert witnesses and potential damages at a three-hour pretrial conference.
- Judge Lewis J. Liman asked both sides to make key experts available for a separate hearing next week to test whether their opinions will be allowed, including Aron Culotta, Dina Mayzlin, and Nicole Alexander.
- Lively’s team says a wave of online backlash in early August 2024 wiped out momentum for her brands and projects, estimating $39.6 million to $143.5 million in losses and up to $35 million tied to a never-made sequel.
- Baldoni’s attorneys called the projections speculative and argued her setbacks stem from her public image and work history, noting few films in eight years and what they described as struggling brands.
- Jury selection is scheduled for May 18 in a narrowed case focused on retaliation and related claims, and the court has not set a firm trial length or a final witness list.