Justin Baldoni's Team Blasts Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' Attempts to Silence His Lawyer as 'Grossly Unfair'
Lively has requested a restraining order for Baldoni's lawyer.
Jan. 24 2025, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
Justin Baldoni has spoken out about a request for his lawyer to shut up when it comes to his legal case against co-star Blake Lively, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Friends of the It Ends with Us director and star have slammed a request from Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds for a gag order to be slapped on Baldoni's lawyer – while they get to bash him without repercussion.
Baldoni has been sued by Lively for sexual harassment.
Lively and Baldoni are locked in a legal war after the 37-year-old Gossip Girl star laid out a litany of sexual harassment allegations against her cinematic love interest.
She, along with Reynolds, 48, have asked for a protective order that would stop 41-year-old Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, from talking or sharing potential evidence with the media, arguing it could taint the prospective jury pool.
But friends close to the embattled actor say that's "grossly unfair" and a cruel double standard, arguing all that Freedman is doing is defending his client from Lively’s "takedown campaign."
The two recently starred together in 'It Ends With Us.'
A letter from Lively's side to the judge earlier this week argued: "As Ms. Lively’s counsel have attempted, repeatedly, to caution Mr. Freedman, federal litigation must be conducted in court and according to the relevant rules of professional conduct."
The note further alleges that Freedman’s statements have been "deliberately aimed at undermining the 'character, credibility, [and] reputation' of numerous relevant parties."
Since coming on as Baldoni's attorney, Freedman has been highly visible on television interviews and podcasts, issued inflammatory statements, and leaked information to the press."
Lively said his behavior on the set was unwarranted.
Case in point, earlier this week, RadarOnline.com shared raw footage provided by Freedman of the dance scene in which Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment.
In the midst of the co-stars' ongoing legal battle, the actor's team unleashed almost 10 minutes of raw footage – which included a slow-dancing scene between him and the Green Lantern star.
In her lawsuit, Lively cited this exact moment, accusing Baldoni of making indecent comments about the scent she was wearing and kissing her neck.
Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, has rushed to defend her.
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With both actors mic'd up, the footage showed no inappropriate behavior on Baldoni's end, leaving his team to insist the video entirely debunked her sexual harassment allegations.
Lively claimed Baldoni moved his lips down her neck and told her "it smells so good," which was debunked at the seven-minute mark.
Their conversation at that point clarified Baldoni's comment about Lively smelling good was in response to her mentioning her spray tan during the romantic dance scene.
Baldoni teased about his beard rubbing off on Lively, and she countered by saying she was likely getting spray tan on him.
He then joked, "It smells good," and they both laughed, with Lively clarifying that the scent was most likely from her body makeup.
In Lively's complaint, she claimed: "None of this was remotely in character, or based on any dialogue in the script, and nothing needed to be said because, again, there was no sound."
On Tuesday, Lively's camp attacked the raw release, saying: "Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning."
They continued: "Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her Complaint. The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character."
"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," they added.
The lawyers continued: "The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent."
The Hollywood star's team then accused the video of being an "unethical attempt to manipulate the public."
"It is also a continuation of their harassment and retaliatory campaign. While they are focused on misleading media narratives, we are focused on the legal process. We are continuing our efforts to require Mr. Baldoni and his associates to answer in court, under oath, rather than through manufactured media stunts," they concluded.
