Would you consider it a conflict of interest if the judge presiding over a case had a direct motivation to see one side of the legal battle prevail? Well, that’s what some online sleuths are saying might be happening in the Blake Lively VS. Justin Baldoni war…
As we’ve been following, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Justin’s defamation case on Monday, a HUGE win for Blake. Why? He ruled her sexual harassment allegations — as part of a lawsuit — are legally protected and therefore immune from defamation claims.
Related: Blake Lively’s Attorney Has A Message For Justin Baldoni’s Legal Rep!
It was a move that apparently surprised some. Veteran trial attorney Omar Serrato told DailyMail.com he was surprised to see Liman make a decision so quickly:
“I thought Judge Liman would reserve judgement until the conclusion of discovery … I was surprised. It certainly feels like it may be in danger of appellate review.”
Obviously we are NOT lawyers and have no idea if the ruling makes sense or not. But some folks out there (Team Justin by the sound of it?) are convinced there must be more to this. They’ve even started searching for another possible explanation for the decision than settled law. These online sleuths were looking for something else — like any sort of connection linking Judge Liman and Blake! And they did actually find something… But is it a conflict?? Buckle up…
Liman’s Brother
It may surprise you to learn that Judge Liman has a very prevalent connection to Hollywood overall… His brother is director Doug Liman! You know, the guy who did Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Bourne Identity, Edge of Tomorrow, the pilot of The OC, and SO much more. No Blake Lively movies, mind you! But he did make a 2008 Barack Obama campaign ad for MoveOn.org. And we’ll give you a second to guess who was featured in it…
Yeah. None other than Blake Lively, alongside her then-boyfriend Penn Badgley! Watch (below):
YUP.
So right there, connective tissue between the Liman family and Blake exists. It’s not much. Not a conflict. But it’s something. And it’s something Judge Liman did not disclose! Hmm. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg…
Stocks & Gossip
Fans have dug up His Honor’s employment and stock history, too! And that’s something these critics are giving some side-eye.
Years after graduating from law school, Liman got hired at the law firm of Cravath, Swaine, & Moore — now just Cravath — where he stayed on between the years 1991 and 1994. There, he helped oversee several big telecommunications and media companies, which he began investing in. One of these was Time Warner. They owned and worked alongside a TON of major studios, magazines, TV networks and more, including the CW — where Blake of course starred in the hit series Gossip Girl!
Here’s the thing… these internet legalistas are now suggesting Liman had a vested interest in the public liking Blake and wanting to watch her content! Because he directly profits from it!
But, uh… does that even make sense? Is he directly profiting in 2025 from one actor on one show that hasn’t been on in over a decade? Seems like a stretch. But it continues…
Making A Mint
Another client of Judge Liman’s was Viacom, which acquired CBS in 2000 — the company that co-owns The CW with Time Warner. According to his disclosures he revealed in 2018 while applying to be a judge, he invested somewhere between $100k and $250k in the CBS, which in 2019 merged with Paramount Global, which owns a TON of networks and production companies.
The thing is, Paramount does have a production deal with… Ryan Reynolds! And that’s not ancient history, that goes through December 2026. That means for NINE whole months after Blake and Justin’s trial is supposed to start in March 2026, Judge Liman will, theoretically, be making money off Ryan.
OK, that does sound like a possible conflict, right? We don’t know how direct connections have to be. Seems like owning stocks at all is a bit precarious these days. But he disclosed the stock portfolio when he became a judge, so it’s all on the up-and-up?
Surprisingly, that’s not all… After leaving Cravath, Liman got hired at Cleary Gottlieb Steen and Hamilton, where he helped oversee the multi billion dollar merger between Sprint and T-Mobile. And how might T-Mobile be related to Blake? Well, they purchased Ryan’s Mint Mobile for $1.35 billion in 2024. Is that more incentive for Liman to care about Ryan Reynolds’ brand though?
While at that firm, he also represented Disney and 21st Century Fox — where Ryan made his Deadpool films.
Now get this… At the time of his application to become a judge, Liman revealed he also had a large stake in Discovery — the network that recently released In Dispute: Lively v Baldoni. Worth noting, that was a doc that seemed to favor the actress. No conflict exactly, but we’re sure some fans are going to see this as one big, happy corporate family that would prefer Blake and Ryan’s stars stay bright. And Judge Liman just happens to have stock in that family.
What Does It All Mean?
Obviously what some of these folks are implying is that Liman may have put his thumb on the scale for Blake. That, of course, is a BOLD accusation. Of course, they’re implying it rather than saying it. But still. It’s pretty wild to even imply this isn’t being handled fairly.
It’s true, the list of Judge Liman’s investments in companies Blake and Ryan have worked with just goes on and on. But they’re movie stars who have worked with a lot of studios/giant corporations. There’s bound to be crossover when you own blue chip stocks. If he was unable to preside over cases with anyone related to Viacom, Disney, and Time Warner… we’re guessing he’d be out of a job!
Also, btw, it’s not even clear if Liman STILL owns these stocks — this was just what he revealed while applying to be a judge in 2018.
So yeah, there’s a lot of connections being drawn out there. But is any of it conflict? Is there anything Liman should have disclosed — for someone else to make that determination? We are far from the right gossip bloggers to make that call! But we’re curious what YOU think!
Let us know your thoughts on all this (below)!
[Images via NBC/YouTube, Coudert Institute/Instagram, & Udo Salters/WENN]
The post Blake Lively Judge Failed To Disclose Connections To Star?! Internet Sleuths Are Digging For Dirt! appeared first on Perez Hilton.