Latest news with #deposition
Khaleej Times
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Blake Lively granted protective order amid Justin Baldoni legal battle
A judge has granted Blake Lively a protective order amid her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni. Three days after she requested a protective order requiring the director's team to identify everyone who would attend her deposition, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted her request on July 14, E! News reported. According to legal documents obtained by E! News, Lively is expected to "make arrangements for opposing counsel to have a dedicated computer and the ability to print and copy documents in the space chosen by Lively." Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios are required to notify Lively of the individuals who will attend her upcoming deposition, which is set to occur on July 17, two days prior, reported E! News. In June, a New York federal judge has ruled that actor-producer Justin Baldoni can access messages between actress Blake Lively and singer Taylor Swift. These messages are related to the film It Ends With Us and the ongoing legal case between the movie's stars, reported Variety. According to the publication, Lively had asked the court to prevent Baldoni from obtaining these messages, arguing that he was trying to involve Swift to gain public Judge Lewis Liman disagreed and found that the messages might provide crucial information relevant to the case. In his order, the judge stated that while public opinion plays a role in high-profile cases, the messages could offer useful insights. He also reminded the parties that a protective order is in place, so the messages cannot be shared with the press."A motion or request may be, and in this case often has been, both a legitimate litigation tactic and an attempt to manoeuvre in the broader court of public opinion," the judge wrote. Baldoni's lawyers had earlier sent subpoenas to Swift and her legal team. However, Swift's team issued a statement saying that she had no role in the film except allowing one of her songs to be used. They also said she only saw the film weeks after its release. Following this, Baldoni's team withdrew the subpoenas. Lively's lawyers sought to resolve the matter entirely, insisting that Swift was not involved. However, the judge ruled that since Lively had mentioned Swift's knowledge of issues on the film set, her messages could help prove or disprove her claims of harassment and retaliation Lively had sued Baldoni in December, accusing him and his publicists of spreading false stories about her in the media after she spoke about sexual harassment during the film's production. Baldoni filed a countersuit, accusing her of ruining his reputation, but that case was dismissed last week. Lively's legal team alleged, per the July 11 filing, that Baldoni's team had previously "refused Ms. Lively's reasonable requests" to cooperate. However, Baldoni's legal team opposed Lively's motion in a July 13 letter to the judge. "Lively relies solely on inapplicable authority and unsupported accusations about opposing counsel and their motives," the actor's legal team wrote. "Lively does not present a single fact to support her allegations of a 'plot' to use the deposition as a 'publicity stunt'," E! News reported.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Blake Lively WINS bid to choose deposition location in Justin Baldoni legal battle
Blake Lively 's deposition in her sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni will be held at a location of her choosing. The actress, 37, was granted the request to pick the location of her deposition by a judge on Monday according to Variety, after her lawyers argued that Baldoni's, 41, attorneys were trying to turn the proceeding into a media spectacle. The Gossip Girl star is set to be deposed in New York on Thursday in her ongoing legal battle against Baldoni, who was her director and co-star in It Ends With Us. Baldoni's side requested for the deposition to be held at the Park Avenue offices of Meister Seelig & Fein, one the firms handling his case. However, Lively's team objected to the location in a motion last week, claiming they feared a media ambush and Lively being swarmed by paparazzi on her way in and out of the building. Baldoni pushed back on her claim by accusing her of trying to use her 'celebrity status' to gain an upper hand in the proceedings. Lively's team also raised concerns that Baldoni would invite social media influencers to be present at the deposition, which is intended to be confidential. On Monday, Judge Lewis Liman approved for the deposition to be held at a different location, which has been redacted in the public version of the motion. Lively's lawyers also asked for Baldoni's side to provide a list of everyone who will be attending. Liman granted the request, with Baldoni's team instructed that they need to provide the list by noon on Tuesday. The judge also instructed Lively's team to provide printing and copying facilities for Baldoni's lawyers. In a moment of snark, Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman previously told TMZ that Lively's deposition should be live-streamed to an audience at Madison Square Garden. Freedman's suggestion, which Lively's attorney shot down at the time as a publicity-seeking distraction, would be to sell tickets to the event and donate the proceeds to domestic violence victims. Lively's team argued that Freedman's remarks demonstrated he couldn't be trusted to keep things professional if the deposition occurred at the place of his choosing. Mitchell Schuster, one of Baldoni's lawyers, dismissed the concern as unfounded, adding that holding the deposition somewhere else would be inconvenient for his team. The two sides are preparing to face off in court after they clashed while filming It Ends With Us last year. After Lively claimed that Baldoni's side would try to make the deposition into a 'public spectacle', the filmmaker hit back by arguing, via his lawyer, that Blake has not supported her claim with evidence. According to TMZ, Baldoni's defense team believes holding the deposition at Lively's lawyer's office puts them at a disadvantage. Justin's lawyer cited the potential need to consult with his hundreds of pages of notes and to use a conference room to speak in private. Baldoni's side wrote in the filing, 'Although Lively's foot-stomping and use of her celebrity status may have enabled her to seize control of the film, which is the crux of this dispute, her counsel's tantrum has no place in this Court. Lively is bound by the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure like every litigant.' The parties have currently agreed to conduct the deposition on July 17, though recent legal filings indicate that the two sides have been in conflict over discovery requirements. In emails between Lively and Baldoni's attorneys that were entered into the record, Lively's lawyers accused Baldoni's team of failing to mail hard drives of evidence to them in a timely manner, which would make it difficult for the Gossip Girl star and her team to examine any documents or videos the defendants may refer to when questioning her. Her legal team also expressed concern in the new filings that Baldoni may hope to have her paraded in front of paparazzi and gawkers if the deposition is held in a less-private location. In a statement to TMZ, Lively's representative said: 'Ms. Lively is looking forward to her deposition next week, and it should follow the same rules as every other witness in this case. In a moment of snark, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, previously said that Lively's deposition should be live-streamed to an audience at Madison Square Garden; pictured in May '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,' they continued. 'This is a serious matter of sexual harassment and retaliation and it deserves to be treated as such.' Lively, who along with husband Ryan Reynolds, 48, was dismissed from Baldoni's $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit nearly a month ago, is tentatively slated to take the stand when the trial begins in New York City in March 2026. Insiders close to Lively told the outlet that she was prepared to face a series of difficult inquiries at her deposition, and that Reynolds isn't expected to attend. Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a lawsuit; while Baldoni accused Lively, her husband Ryan and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation and extortion in a $400 million suit - the latter of which was dismissed Monday. Baldoni has denied the allegations brought about by Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made in litigation by Baldoni. In June, Lively suffered a setback in the case when a judge denied her attorneys' application for a protective order seeking to block her text messages with Taylor Swift from being entered as evidence. Baldoni's team subpoenaed Lively for text messages, emails and any other messages between her and Swift. His lawyers have subsequently been allowed to pore through the text trail, with all communications related to It Ends With Us set for scrutiny. In one embarrassing text exchange, Lively appeared to refer to herself as the Game of Thrones character Khaleesi, and to Swift as one of her 'dragons.' Elsewhere in Baldoni's filing is the claim that Swift was present at a meeting convened by Lively at her New York penthouse to discuss It Ends With Us script changes. Sources close to Swift insisted the singer had no knowledge of the meeting and simply arrived to find it underway. The situation reportedly left Swift — who is godmother to Lively's three daughters — feeling 'exploited' by her friend of ten years.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Justin Baldoni's Lawyers Fight Back Blake Lively's Depisiton Request — Report
reportedly claimed that Blake Lively has been using her star power to dictate their forthcoming disposition in their ongoing legal battle. TMZ obtained documents related to a recent filing from Baldoni's team, as they fight back against his 'It Ends With Us' co-star's request to hold the deposition at her lawyer's office. The proceedings are scheduled to be held on Thursday at the office of his attorney. Lively's team filed the request last week, claiming they fear a paparazzi ambush. Justin Baldoni's lawyers reportedly rejected a request Blake Lively made, accusing her of using her popularity to dictate the deposition. TMZ revealed that Lively's team requested to move the location of the upcoming deposition, which will take place at Baldoni's attorney's office in New York City on July 17. Her counsel cited fears of a paparazzi ambush as the reason to switch the venue to her lawyer's office. However, her legal adversary has refused to comply with her desires. In his response filing, Baldoni's team argued a lack of evidence to prove the claims. They alleged that both lawyers' offices are about a mile away from each other. The actor-director's filing further mentioned that a location change would put them at a disadvantage in case they need a private space for discussions. His attorney accused Lively of 'foot-stomping' and using her 'celebrity status' to 'seize control of the film,' but mentioned how a 'tantrum' like that will have 'no place in this Court.' PEOPLE had previously reported that Blake Lively slammed Justin Baldoni's lawyers for making her upcoming deposition in their legal battle a 'spectacle.' On Friday, Lively's team filed a motion, requesting to change the location. In the filings, they accused Baldioni's counsel of making the ordeal 'a public spectacle at every turn' instead of treating it like a serious matter of 'sexual harassment and retaliation.' Originally reported by Nikita Mahato on Reality Tea. The post Justin Baldoni's Lawyers Fight Back Blake Lively's Depisiton Request — Report appeared first on Mandatory.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Judge Rules Blake Lively Can Choose Deposition Location In Justin Baldoni Legal Battle
A New York federal judge sided with Blake Lively in her choice of a location for a deposition in her legal battle with Justin Baldoni. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman granted Lively's motion for a protective order, writing that 'Lively will make arrangements for opposing counsel to have a dedicated computer and the ability to print and copy documents in the space chosen by Lively.' More from Deadline A Full Timeline Of Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends With Us' Feud In Court, Online & In The Media My Texts Ricochet: Blake Lively Loses Effort To Keep Taylor Swift Chats From Justin Baldoni's Legal Team Justice Department Indicts Tim Leiweke In Alleged Live Sports Arena Bid-Rigging Scheme Read the judge's Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni protective order. Lively's legal team claimed that Baldoni's team had been seeking to turn the deposition into 'a media event.' 'Defendants 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,' her attorneys wrote to the judge last week. The judge's order also requires the defendants to disclose all of the individuals who will appear at the deposition. Baldoni's lawyers opposed the protective order, arguing that she 'does not present a single fact to support her allegations of a 'plot' to use the deposition as a 'publicity stunt.'' 'Without a whit of evidence, Lively contends that if the location is not changed, she will beassaulted by hordes of paparazzi and the [defendants] may invite the press or hostile thirdparties to the deposition,' the attorneys wrote to the judge. 'This is not only fiction, it is nonsense.' They noted that their location for the deposition, at the law firm of Meiser, Seelig & Fein, is a class A commercial building with a non-public entrance. Lively sued Baldoni last year, alleging retaliation, among other claims, after she accused him of sexual harassment on the set of the movie It Ends With Us. Baldoni filed a counter suit against her for defamation and extortion, with The New York Times also named as a defendant. The judge dismissed that claim last month. Best of Deadline 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Soundtrack: From Griff To Sabrina Carpenter
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blake Lively Doesn't Want Baldoni Deposition To Happen At Madison Square Garden
Blake Lively wants a judge to set the location for her next legal skirmish with Justin Baldoni ... and she's not in favor of making it a public spectacle, as Justin's people proposed. According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Blake is asking the judge to order her upcoming deposition to take place at her lawyer's office. Justin's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has suggested live streaming Blake's depo from the World's Most Famous Arena ... Madison Square Garden ... but Blake's making it clear here she's not on board with the farfetched plan. Blake's also expressing concern Justin's camp is trying to harass her by getting her to walk through paparazzi on her way to the deposition. The horror of an actress walking by cameras. Back in May, Freedman told us ... "If Blake Lively is really serious about testifying for the world to see, let's live stream it in Madison Square Garden and give the money to the domestic violence survivors." The deposition, as we first reported, is set for Thursday in the Big Apple. Blake's rep tells TMZ … "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."
