Blake Lively slams Justin Baldoni's legal team
The former Gossip Girl star is suing her It Ends With Us co-star and director for sexual harassment and retaliation and she's now filed a motion requesting the judge agrees to a protective order which would see her sit for her deposition on 17 July at a redacted location, with everyone attending to be identified in advance.
The movie came after a lawyer for Justin - whose counterclaims against Blake and her husband Ryan Reynolds for extortion and defamation were dismissed last month - previously said he wanted the deposition to be taken in public for people to see.
Attorney Bryan Freedman told People magazine in May: 'Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organizations helping victims of domestic abuse."
Following the court filing, Blake's representatives hit out at the 41-year-old actor's team.
They told People magazine: 'Ms. Lively is looking forward to her deposition next week, and it should follow the same rules as every other witness in this case.'
'Justin Baldoni's lawyer has tried to make this matter a public spectacle at every turn, even proposing to sell tickets to a televised deposition at Madison Square Garden,.
"This is a serious matter of sexual harassment and retaliation and it deserves to be treated as such.'
The new filing revealed Blake, 37, asked the judge to block Justin and his team from selecting where the deposition takes place.
Her lawyers wrote: "[Baldoni's team have] not denied that their intent is to manufacture a harassing publicity stunt by requiring Ms. Lively to parade through paparazzi, or by inviting unknown attendees to the deposition, including members of the media or social media influencers, or any other number of abusive tactics.
'Since virtually the inception of this litigation, Defendants have used even the prospect of Ms. Lively's deposition to generate press interest.
'The high-profile nature of this litigation, and the nature of Ms. Lively's retaliation claims, demonstrates a substantial risk of the deposition turning into a publicity event and potentially attracting interested individuals who could pose security risks."
The Another Simple Favor star's lawyers insisted the filing was a "reasonable request to prevent the risk of annoyance, harassment, and verbal or physical threats," and alleged Justin's team 'appear to seek another public relations moment, or to create conditions for intimidation or harassment.'
A trial is set to take place in March 2026.
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