Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni appear in court together for first time amid legal battle

LOWER MANHATTAN, New York — Actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are in a New York City federal court for a settlement conference in Lively’s lawsuit against her former co-star.

The Hollywood stars smiled at a small crowd of media gathered outside of the Southern District courthouse but did not speak.

When asked what they hoped to accomplish today Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman responded “We hope to win.”

But victory won’t come today. Lively, Baldoni and their attorneys are attending a closed-door settlement hearing designed to bring an end to the legal battle that dates back to December 2024.

According to court documents, each side will make a 10-15 minute presentation during the conference summarizing the issues attorneys believe are important for the opposing party to consider. The judge will then meet separately with each side in private.

Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends with Us” and accusing both Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios of engaging in a “social manipulation” campaign to “destroy” her reputation.

The two later filed lawsuits against each other in New York with Lively reiterating the claims made in her earlier complaint and further accusing Baldoni retaliation, suing him for nearly $500 million in damages. Baldoni’s attorney denied the allegations.

One of the claims in her lawsuit is that Baldoni asked Lively’s trainer how much she would weigh when they started filming, which she says was a type of fat shaming. Baldoni has said he was concerned about safely lifting her during a scene due to his own back problems.

Shortly after Lively filed her lawsuit, Baldoni filed a $400 million suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and the couple’s publicist for extortion and defamation, claiming Lively had “robbed” him of control over the film and had destroyed his reputation. A judge dismissed Baldoni’s suit last June.

Lively’s suit is ongoing.

If the sides don’t reach an agreement, a trial is set to begin May 18 in New York.

(ABC News contributed to this report.)