ToplineActor-director Justin Baldoni plans to take the witness stand once “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively’s lawsuit over an alleged smear campaign heads to trial, his lawyers said in a court filing, even after a judge gutted most of Lively’s claims.Justin Baldoni plans to testify once Blake Lively's lawsuit heads to trial, his lawyers said in a court filing. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)GC ImagesKey FactsBaldoni, who is no longer listed as a defendant after a judge tossed Lively’s sexual harassment and defamation claims, will testify, as will “It Ends With Us” producer Jamey Heath and publicist Melissa Nathan, who were also dismissed as defendants.The judge allowed to move forward claims against Baldoni’s production company and the crisis public relations company it hired. Baldoni will take the witness stand because his testimony “remains relevant to refute Plaintiff’s false allegations of a smear campaign that purportedly orchestrated to smear Ms. Lively,” his lawyer Ellyn S. Garofalo wrote in a court filing.Garofalo’s filing came days after Lively’s lawyers filed a motion to compel the defense to clarify which witnesses would testify in person or give depositions, which U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman denied.Lively’s lawsuit, which she filed in December 2024, will head to trial on May 18.Will Blake Lively Testify At Trial?Lively’s lawyers have long vowed the actress will take the witness stand. Lively’s lawyers confirmed she would testify in a statement to CNN in May 2025, saying, “This is a case about what happened to Blake Lively when she raised claims of sexual harassment on set and the retaliation that followed. Of course she will testify.” After the sexual harassment claims were tossed last week, her lawyers reaffirmed she would take the stand. “She looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight,” Lively’s attorney Sigrid McCawley said last week. In a post on her Instagram story last week, Lively said she plans to “finally tell my story in full at trial.”Who Else Could Testify?Though it’s unclear who exactly will testify, court documents unsealed in November showed Lively’s legal team named plenty of high-profile celebrities as possible witnesses, including billionaire pop star Taylor Swift, a close friend of Lively’s. Baldoni previously attempted to subpoena Swift, though his legal team later withdrew the action. Other celebrities Lively’s lawyers named as potential witnesses include her husband Ryan Reynolds and “It Ends With Us” author Colleen Hoover, as well as Emily Blunt, Gigi Hadid, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera, Hugh Jackman and Jenny Slate. Why Did A Judge Toss Much Of Lively’s Lawsuit?Liman dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims last week, saying she could not pursue claims of sexual harassment because she was an independent contractor and does not qualify for certain employee protections. Liman let three claims proceed to trial: breach of contract and retaliation, which Lively filed against Baldoni’s film production company Wayfarer Studios, and aiding and abetting in retaliation, which Lively filed against The Agency Group PR, a crisis public relations firm hired by Wayfarer.Key BackgroundLively’s lawsuit will head to trial almost two years after “It Ends With Us” opened in theaters and became a box office hit. Amid the film’s successful run in theaters, fans noted Lively and Baldoni did not appear in interviews or on red carpets together, sparking speculation of a feud. Lively filed a civil rights complaint in California in December 2024, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, before filing a lawsuit in Manhattan federal court later that month. On the same day Lively filed her lawsuit, Baldoni sued the New York Times in a since-dismissed suit, alleging the paper defamed him by publishing an article detailing Lively’s claims that Baldoni hired a crisis PR firm to orchestrate a smear campaign against her. Baldoni then sued Lively and Reynolds in January 2025, accusing them of defamation and extortion, though a judge dismissed the suit in June.Further ReadingJudge dismisses most claims in Blake Lively's lawsuit against Justin Baldoni (NBC News)