Lively's attorneys requested a gag order on Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, after he released that behind-the-scenes footage, and Baldoni's camp says that's crazy since her complaints were first published in the New York Times.
Earlier this week, Justin Baldoni‘s lawyers released a 10-minute behind-the-scenes video of a scene in It Ends With Us, in which Baldoni and Blake Lively slow dance and chat about what they want to do in the scene. Baldoni’s lawyer claims the footage proves him innocent against her sexual harassment complaint, while Lively’s lawyers insist the video is “damning evidence” that “corroborates” her allegations.
“The following videos captured on May 23, 2023 clearly refute Ms. Lively’s characterization of his behavior,” Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, wrote in a statement. “The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another. Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism.”
In response, Lively’s lawyers wrote: “Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort.” They continued, “Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance, and no intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss.”
I won’t share my opinion on the footage, but you can watch it for yourself. Regardless, later on Tuesday, Lively and Ryan Reynolds sent a letter to the judge requesting a gag order against Freedman since he keeps talking to the media and releasing discovery materials and could “taint the jury pool” should the case wind up in court. (Which, at this point, looks highly likely.)
Lively and Reynolds’ counsel claim that Freedman “has given television interviews, appeared on podcasts, issued inflammatory written statements, and leaked information (including, remarkably, documents as banal as document preservation demands to third parties) to the Hollywood press and tabloid media” nearly “every day” since Lively filed her complained on December 20.
“Releasing this video to the media, rather than presenting it as evidence in court, is another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public,” the letter from Lively’s attorneys reads. “We are continuing our efforts to require Mr. Baldoni and his associates to answer in court, under oath, rather than through manufactured media stunts.”
To be fair, Freedman did go on Megyn Kelly‘s podcast on January 7 to claim that Reynolds’ was mocking Baldoni in deleted Deadpool scenes. If I had a lawyer who so much as stood next to Kelly, I’d gag them (and fire them) myself.
Of course, Baldoni’s camp responded. On Thursday, “sources,” according toPage Six, said it was grossly unfair” that Lively and Reynolds try and bar Freedman from the media after this whole thing started because Lively’s initial claims were first published by the New York Times. Freedman also continues to tease a website launch with “more information” meant to disprove Lively.
To be continued…probably forever.
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