As Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni gear up to go to court next month for their scheduled trial, the two ‘It Ends With Us’ stars have put forth their motions weeks before proceedings are set to begin in a federal court in New York City.Justin Baldoni asks court to exclude refferences of past clientsAs per reports on Deadline, Baldoni and members of the Melissa Nathan-led crisis PR team have asked the court to exclude references to their past high-profile clients. They have further asked that any mention of alleged “smear websites” be avoided from being presented to the jury, citing that they “are irrelevant and prejudicial because Lively does not allege that such mechanism was utilized (by any of the defendants) against her.”The request comes as they face claims of retaliation, breach of contract, and aiding and abetting in what has been described as a 2024 online ‘smear campaign’ against Lively.Court documents reveal motionAs per the report, the filing states, “Any services that Nathan rendered for actor Johnny Depp in connection with his high-profile defamation litigation against ex-wife Amber Heard, for other celebrities such as rappers Drake and Travis Scott, professional wrestler Logan Paul, and actress Rebel Wilson, for politicians, or for other clients are irrelevant to whether she aided and abetted the purported smear campaign at issue herein, as alleged by Lively.” Baldoni’s legal team is also seeking to prevent testimony from ‘It Ends With Us’ actors Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer from being heard by the jury.Blake Lively asks to bar jury from knowing her networthOn the other hand, TMZ reports that Blake Lively has filed motions of her own, requesting that any references to her and Reynolds’ networth be excluded from the trial. Legal documents indicate that the actress has asked the judge to bar all evidence regarding their “net worth and financial status,” amid concerns it could influence how a jury perceives her claims.Lively has alleged over USD 161 million in losses as a result of the alleged smear campaign. However, as per reports early this month, as the judge threw out her defamation claim and sexual harrasment allegations, it’s unclear if her alleged ‘compensation’ is relevant. Nonetheless, she’s still allowed to present her claims, including retaliation tied to her allegations of a hostile work environment on the film’s set.No ‘Nicepool’ refference in trialShe has also sought to block any mention of Reynolds’ “Nicepool” character from ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’, which Baldoni’s team had reportedly intended to argue about the couple’s bullying behaviour. However, TMZ reports that a judge had previously ruled that the evidence is irrelevant.With both sides continuing to file motions, the possibility of a last-minute settlement remains. Meanwhile, the trial is expected to begin on May 18.
