Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in court: Live updates as actress seeks stronger protective order against her 'It Ends With Us' co-star

The It Ends With Us legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni wages on.

In a hearing held Thursday, about Lively's request for a stronger protective order in the case, the actress's attorney cited a fear of a lack of privacy and said that based on how the case has played out so far, there are "100 million reasons for these parties to leak information because the PR value is greater than complying with the court’s orders.” Baldoni's team pushed back, arguing the current protective order is strong enough.

After both sides previously agreed to a protective order, Lively's lawyers submitted a letter to U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman on Feb. 20 asking for additional protections, claiming Lively has been receiving "violent" messages. They want certain information in the discovery process to be for "attorney's eyes only."

"As detailed in Ms. Lively’s amended complaint, Ms. Lively, her family, other members of the cast, various fact witnesses, and individuals that have spoken out publicly in support of Ms. Lively have received violent, profane, sexist and threatening communications," the letter stated.

In a statement, Baldoni's lawyers said they "do not condone dangerous rhetoric targeted toward anyone no matter the situation" and called these messages "abhorrent." They said Baldoni and others received similar threats.

"When private parties were wrongfully accused by Lively and her paid team of wrongdoing, they received continuous death threats and visits to private homes where young children reside. … No one should have to face that, especially private parties who do not have means for security detail," Baldoni's team added.

On Feb. 25, Baldoni's lawyers officially responded in court and claimed Lively is trying to "prevent the public" from accessing more evidence.

"Given how actively the Lively parties have publicized and litigated Ms. Lively’s claims in the media, we are surprised to now learn how vehemently she wants to prevent the public from accessing material and relevant evidence," they wrote.

On Feb. 18, Lively filed an amended complaint alleging Baldoni made two female cast members "uncomfortable" on set.

Liman previously warned both sides to stop litigating the case in the media, cautioning that he may move up the trial, currently set for March 2026.

Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and misconduct and accused him and others of orchestrating a smear campaign after she raised concerns about Baldoni's alleged behavior.

Baldoni has denied all claims. In January, he filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and their publicists in January, alleging defamation and extortion.

As both parties continue to present their cases, the entertainment industry is watching closely and anticipating further developments in the high-profile saga.