Justin Baldoni made a second appearance in court as the It Ends With Us legal battle continues — but Blake Lively was not present.
Justin, 42, was accompanied by his wife, Emily Baldoni, while arriving at a New York City court for the second day in a row on Thursday, February 12. The actor and director wore a neutral outfit while holding hands with Emily, 41, as they walked into the building, according to several videos shared on social media. Both Justin and Emily opted for camel-colored outfits and appeared to be in high spirits as they entered the courthouse.
Extra TV reported that Lively, 38, “was not expected in court” on Thursday. (Us Weekly has reached out to Lively’s team for comment.)
Justin Baldoni TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images
While several reporters yelled questions at Justin, he did not offer any answers.
“I hope you guys stay warm today,” he told members of the press who were standing outside. “I hope you guys stay nice and warm.”
A separate story published by Page Six claimed that Baldoni’s second court appearance was related to his ongoing legal battle with publicist Stephanie Jones.
Jones sued Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him and former employee Jennifer Abel for breach of contract and claiming that they orchestrated a smear campaign against Lively. Baldoni countersued Jones in March 2025. She is seeking to dismiss the lawsuit.
Thursday’s court appearance is Justin’s second of the week. He and Lively were both present in the NYC courthouse on Wednesday, February 11, ahead of their May trial.
Justin put on a united front with Emily on Wednesday, while Lively arrived solo. Justin and Lively inadvertently matched with pink and green outfits for the settlement conference, which is traditionally held in civil lawsuits as a way to avoid going to trial.
Judge Lewis J. Liman, who is set to preside over their upcoming trial, previously suggested a settlement hearing during a December 2025 court appearance.
Justin’s lawyer Bryan Freedman told Deadline on Wednesday that settlement talks were “unsuccessful” but added that “there’s always a chance” of reaching an agreement. Freedman said he’s “looking forward” to the trial in May and noted he wasn’t sure if the talks would resume before then.
Justin has been embroiled in a legal battle with Lively since December 2024 when she filed a complaint against him in the California Civil Rights Department. Lively claimed that Justin fostered a hostile work environment on the set of their movie It Ends With Us. That same month, Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
Justin has continued to deny the allegations against him and countersued Lively. His suit was dismissed in June 2025.
While their civil trial was originally set to start next month, Judge Liman was forced to push it to May because he is overseeing multiple criminal trials.
“As important as this case is … criminal trials take precedent,” Liman said.
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