Originally appeared on E! Online
New details have emerged in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s ongoing legal battle.
Three days after the “It Ends With Us” actress requested a protective order requiring the director’s team to identify everyone who will attend her deposition, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted her request on July 14.
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.”
Meanwhile, 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.
As for why Lively — who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer in December — requested the protective order? Well, the “Gossip Girl” alum’s legal team alleged, per the July 11 filing, that Baldoni’s team had previously “refused Ms. Lively’s reasonable requests” to cooperate.
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“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.”
“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.”
For his part, 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 “Jane the Virgin” 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.’”
The letter went on to accuse Lively of using her “celebrity status” to her advantage, referencing The New York Times’ December report that centered around Lively’s allegations that Baldoni had sexually harassed her and was participating in a smear campaign against her.
“It is ironic that Lively alleges that the Wayfarer Parties are trying to ‘generate press interest’ in her deposition given that she tirelessly ensured that The New York Times widely publicized her allegations and that her ‘representatives’ provided a self-serving quote to the media about the Motion,” the document continued. “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.”
E! News has reached out to Lively and Baldoni’s reps for comment.
This update in the duo’s legal battle comes one month after Baldoni’s countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane — as well as his lawsuit against the NYT — were dismissed by judge Liman.
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