Key Points

A judge has granted Blake Lively a protective order in her ongoing legal dispute with Justin Baldoni over their film 'It Ends With Us.' The ruling requires Baldoni's team to disclose who will attend Lively's upcoming deposition. Earlier, Baldoni subpoenaed messages between Lively and Taylor Swift, which the judge allowed as potentially relevant evidence. Lively previously sued Baldoni for defamation after speaking out about harassment during production.

Key Points: Blake Lively Wins Protective Order Against Justin Baldoni in Legal Battle

  • Judge grants Lively's request to control deposition attendees
  • Baldoni previously subpoenaed Taylor Swift's messages
  • Lively sued Baldoni for defamation over harassment claims
  • Baldoni's countersuit dismissed last week
4 min read

Blake Lively granted protective order amid Justin Baldoni legal battle

Judge grants Blake Lively a protective order amid deposition dispute with Justin Baldoni over 'It Ends With Us' legal case.

"Defendants have not denied that their intent is to manufacture a harassing publicity stunt – Blake Lively's legal team"

Washington DC, July 15

A judge has granted Blake Lively a protective order amid her ongoing legal battle with Justin Baldoni, reported E! News.

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, as per the outlet.

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 attention.However, 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 maneuver 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.

"Defendants have not denied that their intent is to manufacture a harassing publicity stunt by requiring Ms. Lively to parade through paparazzi," the request stated, "or by inviting unknown attendees to the deposition, including members of the media or social media influencers, or any other number of abusive tactics," reported E! News.

"Despite Ms. Lively's repeated efforts to confer," the documents continued, "Defendants have refused to address these concerns and have responded only with their insistence that they alone control all logistics and security issues."

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'," reported E! News.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Hollywood drama is next level! But seriously, if there were harassment issues during production, that needs to be addressed properly. In India we've seen similar cases where women in the industry face harassment but don't speak up due to fear. Good on Lively for taking legal action.
A
Aman W
The judge made the right call - messages between friends shouldn't be private if they're relevant to the case. But the media circus around this is unnecessary. In India, our courts would handle this more discreetly without all this public drama.
S
Shreya B
As a law student in Mumbai, I find the legal tactics fascinating! The protective order was smart - preventing media exploitation while allowing due process. Though I wonder if Baldoni's team overplayed their hand by involving Taylor Swift unnecessarily. 🤔
V
Varun X
Both sides seem to be playing the media game. While Lively's concerns about privacy are valid, her team's language about "parading through paparazzi" sounds exaggerated. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Just give us good movies, not courtroom battles!
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Nisha Z
This reminds me of some Bollywood feuds but with better legal documentation! 😅 On a serious note, workplace harassment claims should be taken seriously everywhere - whether Hollywood, Bollywood or corporate India. Hope the truth comes out fairly.

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