With the date set for the highly anticipated courtroom showdown between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, many have begun speculating whether the case will play out live on television for all to see.
The infamous lawsuits that have become the hot topic of debate and discussion online, have sparked rumours that they may just be televised, similar to the past celebrity trial involving Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. Besides Depp and Heard, celebrity court trials, including that of actress Gwyneth Paltrow, also played out live, drawing in heightened public interest.
However, legal experts have weighed in on the matter and have suggested that it would be rather unlikely that the Lively vs Baldoni trial would be screened online.
Gregory Doll, a legal analyst, told People that because the case has been filed in federal court, cameras will not be allowed in the proceedings. "By filing in federal court, they foreclosed the possibility that there will be any cameras in the proceedings," Doll explained.
Furthermore, the uscourts.gov site states that the Judicial Conference policy does not permit civil or criminal courtroom proceedings in district courts to be broadcast, televised, recorded, or photographed for public dissemination.
The Lively vs Baldoni trial hit the headlines again on Monday, when a New York federal judge, Lewis J. Liman, scheduled the trial for March 9, 2026. The judge also advanced an initial conference, originally set for mid-February, to next week and instructed attorneys to address concerns about pretrial publicity and legal conduct.
Additionally, Judge Liman indicated that he will likely combine both lawsuits involving Lively and Baldoni into a single trial.
While Lively is suing Baldoni, his production company and other producers of 'It Ends With Us', for sexual harassment and an alleged attack on her reputation while also seeking unspecified damages, Baldoni is suing the actress and her actor husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion and seeking at least $400 million in damages.
