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Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni came to a New York courthouse on Wednesday to see if her lawsuit alleging sexual harassment could be settled before a May trial.
According to Associated Press, the talks between lawyers went on over a six-hour period before Lively and Baldoni left the Manhattan federal courthouse separately and went straight to their waiting cars without saying anything. Lively looked stern as she walked out while Baldoni was smiling.
“Justin walking proudly with his wife Emily by his side… smiling, gracious, and confident as ever. In contrast, Blake walks alone. No family, no Ryan, no visible support. It really does look like Khaleesi’s on her own, without her dragons,” wrote an X user referring to her husband Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift.
Scores of Baldoni supporters took to social media to criticize Lively over her lawsuit against him, accusing her of trying to destroy his carrier.
In a text message to Baldoni, Lively had allegedly compared herself to the Game of Thrones character Khaleesi and called Reynolds and Swift her two “dragons,” according to a complaint.
Baldoni had said he was invited to Lively’s New York home in 2023 to discuss script changes, where Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Swift were there to serve as her “dragons”.
After their recent appearance in court, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in an email that the talks did not result in a settlement.
Mandatory settlement talks are generally required before a civil case proceeds to trial. They are not held in public.
Lively sued Baldoni and his hired crisis communications expert alleging harassment and a coordinated campaign to attack her reputation after she complained about his treatment of her on the movie set.
Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company countersued Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed that suit last June.
The trial, scheduled for May 18, was expected to be star-studded. Lively’s legal team had indicated in court papers that people likely to have information about the case included singer Taylor Swift, model Gigi Hadid, actors Emily Blunt, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Hugh Jackman, influencer Candace Owens, media personality Perez Hilton and designer Ashley Avignone.
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