New twists have unfolded in the ongoing legal skirmish between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. On July 14, just three days after the "It Ends With Us" actress sought a protective order compelling Baldoni's team to disclose the attendees of her upcoming deposition, Judge Lewis J. Liman sided with her. According to legal papers acquired by E! News, Lively is now mandated to "facilitate a dedicated computer and printing facilities for opposing counsel within the space of her choosing."
Concurrently, Baldoni and his production house, Wayfarer Studios, are required to inform Lively of the individuals who will participate in her deposition, scheduled for July 17, two days beforehand.
The protective order was sought by Lively—who filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer in December—due to what her legal team alleged in a July 11 filing: that Baldoni's team had "rejected Lively's reasonable requests" for cooperation.
"The defendants have neither denied nor refuted their intent to stage a harassing publicity stunt by compelling Ms. Lively to walk through a gauntlet of paparazzi," the request stated, "or by inviting unknown attendees, including media personnel or social media influencers, among other abusive tactics."
Despite Lively's "repeated attempts to confer," the documents continued, "the defendants have steadfastly refused to address these concerns, insisting instead on sole control over all logistics and security."
In contrast, Baldoni's legal team contested Lively's motion in a July 13 letter to the judge. "Lively leans heavily on inapplicable precedents and unfounded accusations against opposing counsel and their motives," penned the legal representatives of the "Jane the Virgin" actor. "Lively hasn't presented a single shred of evidence to support her claims of a 'conspiracy' to exploit the deposition as a 'publicity stunt.'"
The letter further accused Lively of exploiting her "celebrity status," referencing a December New York Times report that detailed her allegations against Baldoni and claimed he was orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
"It is ironic that Lively accuses the Wayfarer parties of attempting to 'generate press interest' in her deposition, considering she relentlessly ensured that The New York Times widely publicized her allegations and her 'representatives' provided a self-serving quote to the media regarding the Motion," the document continued. "Although Lively's dramatic gestures and leveraging of her celebrity status may have allowed her to seize control of the film, which is the core of this dispute, her counsel's tantrum has no place in this Court."
E! News has reached out to representatives for both Lively and Baldoni for comment. This latest development in their legal spat comes a month after Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni's countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as his lawsuit against The New York Times.
