On Thursday, Justin Baldoni effortlessly engaged with onlookers outside the courthouse as he prepared for the second day of settlement discussions in his legal battle with co-star Blake Lively from “It Ends With Us.”
Baldoni’s return to the Manhattan courthouse occurred a mere day after he and Lively failed to reach an agreement, despite enduring six intense hours of negotiations on Wednesday.
This appearance was also linked to a separate case involving Baldoni’s former publicist, Stephanie Jones, which was being addressed at the US District Court in Manhattan.
Last March, Baldoni, 41, along with his current publicist, Jennifer Abel, filed a lawsuit against Jones. They accused her of leaking private messages that became pivotal in Lively’s legal action against Baldoni.
Accompanied by his wife, Emily, 41, the actor and director appeared composed as he arrived at the New York City courthouse at 9:56 a.m. on Thursday.
Baldoni was dressed in a stylish long gray coat over an open-necked brown collared shirt, grinning as he passed by about a dozen members of the press.
Lively was not set to appear on Thursday, as the settlement conference concerned Jones and Abel.
She looked stone-faced one day earlier after abruptly walking out of her respective settlement hearing with Baldoni.
Justin Baldoni arrived hand-in-hand with his wife at Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday
He sported a long gray coat with an open-necked brown collared shirt as he smiled past about a dozen members of the media
Baldoni looked upbeat as he walked through the snow-covered sidewalks into court
Baldoni put his arm around his wife’s back as he walked through the doors of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse.
Immediately before that, he had a brief message for the media.
‘I hope you guys stay warm,’ Baldoni said. ‘I hope you guys stay nice and warm.’
He was also accompanied by It Ends With Us producer Jamey Heath and his wife Natasha.
Lively had accused Heath of approaching her and her assistant on set before allegedly playing a clip of ‘a fully nude woman with her legs spread apart.’
Lively claimed she initially believed it was pornography, and Heath later told her the video depicted his wife giving birth.
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman arrived around 11.25am and appeared to be in similarly good spirits.
‘I’m gonna be grateful and have a wonderful day,’ he said.
Freedman added that he expected ‘everything is going to go well today.’
When asked by the Daily Mail if he expected to return to court, Freedman demurred.
‘Never my last day here,’ he said, before walking into the proceedings.
There was no settlement on Thursday.
There were no fans for either party around the courthouse on either day.
Blake Lively departs court on Wednesday, February 11
Baldoni put his arm around his wife’s back as he walked through the doors of the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse
He was also accompanied by It Ends With Us producer Jamey Heath and his wife Natasha
The actor and director looked relaxed as he strolled into the New York City courthouse on Thursday at 9.56am accompanied by his wife Emily, 41
The co-stars have been locked in legal battles stemming from the filming of It Ends With Us
Yesterday afternoon, Freedman explained that the non-settlement with Lively marked an uncertain future.
‘I don’t know that he will,’ he said, when asked about resuming settlement conversations.
When asked if the case could go to trial, Freedman said: ‘I do. I’m looking forward to it.’
Jones arrived with her attorney around 9.26am, about half an hour before Baldoni. She sported a long dark brown coat with a blue suit.
Baldoni’s former publicist carried a coffee cup into the hearing, and did not offer any words before entering the courthouse.
Thursday’s hearing was closed to the media and public
The Daily Mail understands that the settlement talks took place in two adjoining courtrooms on the same floor of the courthouse, like on Wednesday.
