Blake Lively and a One-Week Delay: The Court Fight Over a “Document Dump” Before Trial

In the It Ends With Us case, blake lively is now facing a reshaped pretrial calendar after Judge Lewis J. Liman granted Justin Baldoni a one-week extension amid escalating disputes over exhibits, witnesses, and what Baldoni’s side described as a court-clogging “document dump. ”

Why did the judge grant a delay in the blake lively pretrial timeline?

Justin Baldoni received a one-week delay in the pretrial process of his case against blake lively after accusing her lawyers of flooding the court with a “document dump. ” Baldoni, 42, and the other Wayfarer Studios codefendants filed a motion on Wednesday, March 25, requesting a one-week extension for any pretrial motions or orders. Judge Lewis J. Liman granted the request, shifting the deadline for submitting pretrial filings from April 3 to April 10.

The ruling also pushed the final pretrial conference from April 21 to April 28. The trial is expected to begin on May 18, and the available record states there is no indication yet that the May 18 start date will be impacted by the extension.

What is the “document dump” dispute—and what exactly is being challenged?

In the motion seeking more time, Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties said that blake lively’s legal team filed more than 1, 000 potential exhibits on Friday, March 20. Baldoni’s team argued that the scale of the exhibit list was excessive and questioned how much of it could realistically be presented to a jury.

“It is difficult to imagine that even half that number would be put before a jury, ” Baldoni’s team argued, adding that many exhibits are lengthy and include numerous text messages or pages. They asserted that many items appeared “obviously irrelevant or inadmissible under multiple rules. ”

Baldoni also objected to blake lively identifying more than 40 potential witnesses for trial, describing it as an “overbreadth” of the legal system. Separately, the filmmaker’s lawyers confirmed they are still working on a jury instruction document that currently spans 85 pages and 13 causes of action.

Beyond exhibits and witnesses, Baldoni’s side opposed finalizing a verdict sheet at this stage. They argued that doing so would be “premature, ” saying it would require speculating about findings or damages while the case remains in the pretrial phase.

How did blake lively’s lawyers respond, and what happens next?

Team Lively opposed the requested delay in a letter to the court on Thursday, March 26. In that response, her lawyers accused Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties of using “an incremental tactic to delay the trial in this case. ”

They further argued that defendants “have repeatedly taken the position that trial preparations are premature” based on an expectation they will receive a “case-changing order” on pending motions for judgment on the pleadings and summary judgment. Team Lively also pointed to a prior request for “floating pretrial deadlines” that had been rejected, and alleged that Baldoni then engaged in “other delay tactics and self-help, ” including “simply failing to comply with the parties’ initially agreed-upon pre-trial exchange deadlines. ”

Team Lively also alleged misrepresentation of the pretrial exchange process. “They have misrepresented the state of pre-trial exchanges, suggesting that Ms. Lively has engaged in bad faith and/or purposefully obfuscated anticipated trial exhibits, trial witnesses, or deposition testimony for presentation. This is false, ” her lawyers alleged. They emphasized that blake lively is the plaintiff and “bears the burden of proof on thirteen causes of action. ”

Her lawyers added that she is “prepared to take her case to trial” and objected to further efforts to delay that process.

Following Judge Liman’s grant of an extension, both parties have been asked to attend a video conference on April 2 at 5 p. m. ET. The record also reflects that outreach was made to representatives for both sides for comment.

Separately, the case background in the available record states that blake lively filed a hostile work environment complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2024 over alleged conduct on the It Ends With Us set, and later sued him in New York for alleged sexu