In a new filing obtained by Us Weekly, Blake Lively is firing back after being accused of trying to “prevent the public” from seeing “relevant evidence” in her legal battle against Justin Baldoni.
Following Lively’s recent request for an improved protective order — which asked for an “Attorney’s Eyes Only” stipulation to keep certain information out of the public eye during the discovery process — Baldoni’s legal team submitted a letter to Judge Lewis Liman on Tuesday, February 25.
“Given how actively the Lively Parties have publicized and litigated Ms. Lively’s claims in the media, we are surprised to now learn how vehemently she wants to prevent the public from accessing material and relevant evidence,” attorney Mitchell Schuster wrote in the letter, per Deadline.
Schuster accused Lively, 37, and her camp of “routinely” making an effort to “rehabilitate her tarnished image with bold statements to the press,” claiming Lively “already publicized the alleged details of the so-called ‘harassment’” she experienced while working with Baldoni, 41, on their movie It Ends With Us.
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“Therefore, Ms. Lively lacks a ‘good faith’ belief that there is any information of such a ‘personally sensitive nature’ that disclosure thereof to the parties ‘would unnecessarily violate [her] privacy rights,’” the letter continued.
Schuster argued that Lively’s request to enhance the initial protective order she was granted earlier in the legal battle is “not warranted,” claiming “the Lively Parties have not explained and cannot explain why” the Court’s Model Protective Order is “insufficient.” (The letter also took a swipe at Ryan Reynolds, who appeared in a “planned skit” about the dispute during Saturday Night Live‘s recent 50th anniversary special.)
In response, Lively’s attorney Michael Gottlieb issued a four-page letter of his own on Tuesday, calling out “the callous disregard and disrespect for a woman advocating for the most basic workplace protections against sexual harassment” demonstrated by Baldoni and those on his side. Per the letter, obtained by Us, a protective order is “standard and expected in even the most mundane civil litigation.”
Gottlieb further alleged that “certain online content creators” have been known to “parrot the Wayfarer Parties’ line” with “misleading accusations” about Lively’s intentions.
“The travels of the mischaracterization embraced by the Opposition through this manufactured echo chamber, by itself, provides ample justification for a Protective Order that establishes adequate protections for third-party privacy interests,” the letter continued.
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Lively named Baldoni — who directed and starred alongside her in It Ends With Us — in a December 2024 sexual harassment lawsuit, claiming Baldoni fostered a “hostile work environment.” She amended her complaint earlier this month, detailing the “emotional impact” of the ongoing legal battle.
Baldoni denied Lively’s harassment accusations before filing lawsuits of his own against The New York Times — the outlet which originally published Lively’s allegations — and against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist. The Times has defended its reporting, recently calling out “inaccuracies” in Baldoni’s legal filings. Lively and Reynolds, for their parts, have continued to deny Baldoni’s defamation claims. (Earlier this month, Lively’s publicist filed a motion to remove herself from Baldoni’s lawsuit.)
An initial hearing took place February 3, during which Judge Liman noted that the pair’s trial date — set for March 2026 — could be moved up if the details of their case continue to be “litigated in the press.”
