Even
someone
chronically
online
that
tries
to
balance
media
consumption
between
terrifying
governmental
changes
and
celebrity
content
may
not
have
followed
all
the
minutiae
of
the
dueling
lawsuits
between
“It
Ends
With
Us”
co-stars
Blake
Lively
and
Justin
Baldoni.
But…
it
*is*
Hollywood’s
hottest
litigation
with
more
twists
than
an
M.
Night
Shyamalan
movie,
so
even
casual
observers
have
probably
developed
deep
opinions
about
the
case(s).
And
that’s
kinda
the
problem.
As
S.D.N.Y
Judge
Lewis
J.
Liman
told
lawyers
in
a
hearing
this
week,
“You’ve
got
a
lot
in
front
of
the
court
that
gives,
I
think,
the
public
plenty
to
feast
upon.”
Lively’s
legal
team,
led
by
Willkie
Farr
partner
Michael
Gottlieb,
wants
Baldoni’s
attorney
Bryan
Freedman
to
shut
the
hell
up,
saying
the
“harassing
and
retaliatory
media
campaign”
against
his
client
has
continued
with
“almost
daily
media
statements
or
other
releases
to
the
press.”
As
reported
by
NBC
News:
During
the
hearing,
Gottlieb
said
the
attacks
from
both
sides’
playing
out
in
the
media
has
created
an
“arms
race”
with
no
guardrails. Gottlieb
compared
the
dynamic
with
his
adversary,
Freedman,
to
“two
4-year-olds
in
a
playground.”The
hearing
—
ostensibly
to
discuss
a
case
management
plan,
legal
issues
and
discovery
—
devolved
into
accusations
of
leaks,
harassment
and
retaliation.
But
Baldoni’s
legal
team
was
also
ready
with
accusations
of
their
own:
Attorneys
for
Baldoni,
who
co-starred,
directed
and
adapted
“It
Ends
With
Us,”
went
on
offense
recently,
launching
a
website
linking
to
his
lawsuit
and
168
pages
of
what
he
says
are
hundreds
of
personal
emails,
documents
and
texts
between
the
two,
as
well
as
their
publicists
and
crisis
managers.This
feud
began
as
a
battle
for
the
hearts
and
minds
of
the
public,
so
perhaps
it
isn’t
surprising
that,
though
the
case
is
currently
being
heard
in
federal
court,
another
very
real
tussle
is
still
going
on
in
the
court
of
public
opinion.
But
Judge
Liman
is
pretty
annoyed
about
that
—
and
he
threatened
to
move
the
trial
date
up
from
the
currently
calendared
March
2026
if
the
attorneys
couldn’t
stop
taking
the
case
in
front
of
the
peanut
gallery.
And
you
should
*absolutely*
take
Liman
at
his
word
—
he
knows
how
to
maintain
order
in
the
courtroom
despite
exceptionally
trying
circumstances.
Remember
he’s
the
judge
who
sanctioned
Rudy
Giuliani
for
his
own
discovery
shenanigans.
So
he
won’t
be
cowered
by
the
bright
lights
that
this
Hollywood
legal
squabble
brings.
(Also,
his
brother
is
Swingers
director
Doug
Liman
so
to
paraphrase
Shania
Twain,
that
don’t
impress
him
much.)
Kathryn
Rubino
is
a
Senior
Editor
at
Above
the
Law,
host
of
The
Jabot
podcast,
and
co-host
of
Thinking
Like
A
Lawyer.
AtL
tipsters
are
the
best,
so
please
connect
with
her.
Feel
free
to
email
her
with
any
tips,
questions,
or
comments
and
follow
her
on
Twitter
@Kathryn1 or
Mastodon
@[email protected].