The legal drama surrounding the film It Ends With Us took another dramatic turn as Justin Baldoni made an unexpected appearance at Blake Lively’s deposition.
On Thursday (July 31), the 41-year-old actor and director attended the deposition of his co-star Blake Lively, 37, in a New York City law office, TMZ reports.
Blake had previously requested and received a protective order from Judge Lewis J. Liman, allowing her team to choose the location and be informed ahead of time about who would be present. While her team had some control over the setting, it didn’t stop Baldoni from joining the proceedings.
The deposition had been scheduled earlier in the month but was postponed to accommodate those new protections.
This legal battle has been heating up since last year when Blake accused Justin of sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni denied the allegations and later countersued Blake and her husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion. However, Judge Liman dismissed his countersuit, allowing only Blake’s original case to move forward.
Baldoni’s in-person presence for Blake’s testimony signals how seriously both parties are treating the dispute, which has drawn widespread public interest due to the high profile of both actors and the bestselling novel-turned-film at the center of it all.
Neither party has made additional public statements regarding the ongoing litigation at this time.
