Blake Lively reportedly faced an uncomfortable moment in court during her legal dispute with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.
During an emergency hearing on Wednesday, Judge Lewis Liman made a pointed remark, reminding those present that “celebrity is fleeting,” according to a report by the Daily Mail.
The comment came after Baldoni’s attorney, Kevin Fritz, raised concerns that Lively might be receiving “special treatment simply because she’s a celebrity.”
The judge, however, shut down the line of argument, calling such statements “a serious issue.”
He urged the lawyer to stick to a more professional tone.
“There are problems that the court is trying to deal with and it’s helpful for me if you frame it in language and words that the court is accustomed to. It does not help me — and it’s not helped me in this case — to start throwing around accusations,” Judge Liman said.
In addressing the broader issue, the judge made it clear that fame holds no weight in his courtroom.
“I’m well aware that [Baldoni] is a person of high profile. So is [Lively],” he stated, before adding, “I have told you before, before I came into this case, I didn’t know who your client was, I did not know who the plaintiff was. Their names were unknown to me.”
He continued, “As far as I’m concerned, whether they have celebrity at the moment or not is irrelevant. Celebrity, as you know, and everybody knows, can be fleeting. It’s also not relevant to the court.”
The judge concluded the matter firmly, “So, your point is well taken that celebrity is irrelevant. Now let’s make it irrelevant. We don’t need to talk about it.”
The hearing took place just one day before Lively was scheduled to be deposed.
While details of the case remain limited, the courtroom exchange highlights how even Hollywood stars are not immune to the straightforward tone of legal proceedings.
