NEW YORK — A U.S. judge on Monday admonished lawyers for Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively not to publicly discuss the actors’ competing civil lawsuits stemming from Lively’s claim that Baldoni sexually harassed her while filming the movie “It Ends with Us.”

Lively’s lawyer Michael Gottlieb complained to U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman at a hearing in Manhattan federal court that Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman violated professional ethics rules for lawyers by accusing Lively of “bullying.”

“It’s very hard to un-ring the bell,” Gottlieb said, arguing that such statements could taint the jury pool for the scheduled March 2026 trial.

Freedman suggested that his comments to People magazine and in a podcast appearance were a response to a Dec. 21 New York Times article that “completely devastated” Baldoni. “This has not been a one-way street,” he said.

Liman adopted a New York state rule barring most out-of-court statements that could affect a case’s outcome, with an exception for protecting a client from prejudicial adverse publicity.

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The judge could sanction lawyers for violations. Neither Gottlieb nor Freedman objected. Neither Lively nor Baldoni attended Monday’s hearing.

In a statement to USA TODAY following the hearing, Lively’s attorneys Gottlieb and Esra Hudson celebrated the outcome of the pretrial conference, noting, “The court granted our request that all attorneys in the matter actually follow the rule of law and not make any statements that could prejudice a jury.”

“We are pleased with the result of today’s hearing and eager to move forward immediately with discovery in this case,” the attorneys said. “This case deals with serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. We will hold the defendants accountable, and we are confident that once all the evidence is submitted in this matter, Ms. Lively will prevail.”

Lively sued Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios on Dec. 31.

Her claims included that Baldoni, who also directed “It Ends with Us,” kissed her beyond what was required during a scene he insisted be shot “over and over again.”

Lively also said Baldoni retaliated by launching a public smear campaign in anticipation of the sexual harassment allegations becoming public.

Baldoni and Wayfarer countered with a $400 million defamation lawsuit on Jan. 16, saying the harassment allegations were false and Lively initiated the unchoreographed kissing.

They also accused Lively of plotting to release her own cut of the film, ousting Baldoni from marketing efforts, and using promotional efforts for the film to advertise her hair care and alcoholic beverage products.

Baldoni and Wayfarer have also sued the New York Times for $250 million, accusing the newspaper of defamation for uncritically taking Lively’s side in the Dec. 21 article.