Blake Lively must turn over detailed business income records to Justin Baldoni
Thursday's mixed decision — awarding Baldoni some, but not all, of the financial records he has demanded — is the latest development in Lively's December 2024 lawsuit.
Lively alleges Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set and then tried to destroy her reputation through a "sophisticated" press and online attack campaign when she complained.
She is seeking an unspecified cash judgment for lost wages and mental and emotional distress. In June, a judge dismissed Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Lively.
The judge's most recent decision requires Lively to turn over all of her business income and expense records from January 1, 2022 to present. She must do so by July 25, the judge ruled.
These records are needed for "establishing whether such income and expenses have changed since the events described" in her lawsuit, the judge wrote.
Lively has alleged in court papers that Baldoni's attacks on her reputation depressed the retail sales of her hair care line, Blake Brown, by "56% —78%." She also has a sparkling mixer brand, Betty Buzz.
"Lively must have some basis for stating that she has suffered economic damages," the judge wrote in ordering her to turn over her income records.
The judge spared Lively from having to turn over her last three years of net worth records.
Lively's side had complained that this demand was overbroad and that the records, which could have included details of property values, savings, and investments, would be irrelevant to proving her businesses' lost income.
The judge agreed, writing, "Lively cannot be compelled to produce documents regarding her personal assets and liabilities with no relationship to any alleged loss in income or opportunities resulting from defendants' actions."
Barring some kind of settlement, the case is not scheduled to wrap anytime soon. Lawyers for both sides are due in court on October 21 for their next status conference, and a 2026 trial date has yet to be set.
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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Blake Lively Slams & Shames Justin Baldoni's Lawyers Over Making Her Deposition Public, Leaking Details Of Last Week's Sit-Down For 'Media Campaign'
(Updated with Lively's sanctions motion against Bryan Freedman) Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni came face-to-face last week as the It Ends With Us actress gave a deposition in the fierce fight over whether sexual harassment and retaliation occurred on the film and the online fallout around its premiere a year ago. Regardless of what Lively did or did not say in response to questions by Wayfarer Studios co-founder Baldoni's lead lawyer Bryan Freedman and others, a letter from the Another Simple Favor star's own attorneys filed today in federal court makes it pretty clear in hindsight the July 31 sit-down did not go well. More from Deadline ADVERTISEMENT 'In rushing to file on the public docket the entirety of the 292-page transcript on the day they received it, with no plausible legal reason to do so, the Wayfarer Defendants and their counsel have proved Ms. Lively's point,' the correspondence Monday from Esra Hudson to Judge Lewis Liman says slamming Team Baldoni's blunt move and wanting everything permanently sealed ASAP. 'The transcript was ostensibly filed in support of their argument that there is no basis to assert that Bryan Freedman or his firm have participated in, fueled and advanced a smear campaign against Ms. Lively such that their conduct has 'amounted to public relations work rather than that of an attorney.' 'But, in fact, this tactic perfectly demonstrates the counsel-as-PR agent role because there is no conceivable legal purpose to file the whole transcript, particularly given that it has not been reviewed, corrected or finalized, and a mere two pages of it were cited in their argument,' the Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP partner adds, also pointing the finger at Baldoni's side for 'immediately' leaking 'details from the deposition to the tabloid media.' Hudson adds: 'The letter and attachment should be seen for what they are: a manufactured excuse to force the transcript into the public domain as fodder for the Wayfarer Defendants' media campaign.' In an August 1 letter from Baldoni's side, which was filed the same day the depo transcript was under temporary seal, attorney Kevin Fritz certainly teases out what was said the day before. 'Upon questioning by Freedman at her recent deposition, Lively admitted that the only ongoing 'smear campaign' about which she has personal knowledge involves (redacted).' Among the details that were dribbled out of the meeting at Lively's lawyers' Manhattan offices last Thursday was what Lively was wearing, what time the deposition started (10:13 am ET) how husband Ryan Reynolds was there with her, what her side did and said, and that Baldoni himself was in the room. 'Consistent with their goal of creating a media circus around Ms. Lively's deposition, it also appears that the Wayfarer Defendants immediately leaked details from the deposition to the tabloid media,' Hudson's letter notes to Judge Liman, who has been short tempered about such actions in the past. Now, whether or not those leaks came from Team Baldoni or not, the fact is such info did quickly end up in the likes of the Daily Mail and TMZ, which have had a lot of Team Baldoni scoops over the past year. 'The narrative created was that Ms. Lively needed a large contingent of people with her to testify, while misleadingly suggesting that only Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Freedman were present for the deposition on their side,' today's three-page letter said. 'The reality is that Ms. Lively testified across the table from Mr. Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, Melissa Nathan, and Jennifer Abel, all of whom attended this deposition in person, as well as eight attorneys representing the Wayfarer and Wallace Parties, two of whom questioned her.' ADVERTISEMENT With Baldoni's $400 million countersuit tossed out in June and Deadpool star Reynolds, the New York Times and others dropped from the matter altogether, Lively's trial against Baldoni is set to start on March 9, 2026. At the same time, a sideshow of sorts is playing out in federal and California state court with the billionaire Sarowitz-backed-Baldoni battling insurance companies over covering his legal fees. And let's be honest, from the get-go, this whole case has been a media feeding feast with highs and lows, literally and figuratively. Also, truth be told, very soon after Lively filed her initial complaint with California's Civil Rights department last December, and saw it covered exclusively by the NYT, the actress accused Baldoni's legal team of playing to the media as much as the court docket in the clash between the duo and their inner circles. Both in and out of court, the often hard-nosed and media savvy (Hello Megyn Kelly) Freedman has become the magnet for most of this criticism with some bold moves and some ham-handed tactics (the Madison Square Garden crack as exhibit #1) Monday Lively's team had no comment on her lawyer's letter to Judge Liman, and reps for Baldoni could not be reached for comment. A rare case of duel silence in this high volume and high profile case. ADVERTISEMENT Later in the day, not for the first time and clearly for public consumption, Lively's lawyers filed a motion for sanctions against Freedman, claiming the successful LA-based attorney has frequently let loose with 'biased and inflammatory pre-trial indictments of Ms. Lively's character, credibility, and reputation' and 'publicly slandering' the actress, as they said in a slightly redacted memorandum of law accompanying the motion. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
New York Post
7 hours ago
- New York Post
Blake Lively accuses Justin Baldoni of leaking details of her deposition, including what she wore, to create ‘a media circus'
Blake Livey has accused Justin Baldoni of 'creating a media circus' by leaking details from her closed-door deposition last week in their ongoing legal saga. Lively, 37, was questioned under oath by the attorneys of her 'It Ends With Us' co-star-turned-rival on Thursday — the details of which were 'immediately' leaked, according to a letter her lawyers filed Monday. 3 Blake Lively claimed Justin Baldoni leaked details from inside his lawyers' deposition of her. REUTERS The deposition started at 10:13 a.m. that morning — and by 10:15 a.m. TMZ published its story revealing Baldoni attended the grilling of the 'Gossip Girl' actress, Lively's lawyers claimed. 3 Lively and Baldoni have been locked in a bitter legal dispute for months since she accused him of sexually harassing her on the set of 'It Ends With Us.' Christopher Peterson / 'Consistent with their goal of creating a media circus around Ms. Lively's deposition, it also appears that the Wayfarer Defendants immediately leaked details from the deposition to the tabloid media,' Lively said of Baldoni's side, which includes the production company of 'It Ends With Us,' Wayfarer Studios LLC. The leaks continued the next day, including 'in detail Ms. Lively's attire for the deposition' and who accompanied her to the meeting, Lively's lawyers claimed. This was to 'misleadingly' create a narrative that Lively 'needed a large contingent of people with her to testify' while suggesting Baldoni was only accompanied by one lawyer, she alleged. The Daily Mail published a story the day after noting Lively was with her older half sister Robyn and her 'Deadpool' actor husband Ryan Reynolds when she walked into the building wearing black jeans and jacket and a light blue cardigan. The two weren't in the room with her, however, when she was under oath during the day-long session that her eight lawyers also attended, the outlet reported. 'The reality is' Baldoni and the other defendants had an army of 13 lawyers there with them, the Manhattan federal court papers claimed. 3 Baldoni's side told the media that he was present for her questioning and other details from the day, Lively's lawyers claimed. ©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection Depositions often take place at the law firms of the parties involved and are not open to the public — unlike most court proceedings. While Baldoni asked that the deposition take place at his lawyers' office, Lively won a protective order allowing her to be questioned at a location of her choosing. She was questioned at her attorneys' office on 7th Avenue, the Daily Mail reported. Lively's lawyers claim that a day after the deposition, Baldoni's side posted the 292-page rough draft version of the transcript under seal for a week. Lively's team will have to file a motion to keep it under seal indefinitely. Baldoni's lawyers 'hope to make Ms. Lively defend the continued sealing of the transcript so they can advance a false narrative that Ms. Lively is afraid of her deposition testimony becoming public, which is entirely untrue and deeply harmful.' Deposition transcripts normally remain under seal unless arguments are made for them to be unsealed for legal reasons. Portions of deposition transcripts can also come out during trials. Lively's lawyers argued that the transcript should be erased from the record for now. Lively launched a $250 million lawsuit against Baldoni and others claiming he sexually harassed her on the set of the 2024 movie, which he directed and co-starred in. She alleged that things got so bad during filming that there was a tense sit-down where she and Reynolds demanded he refrain from showing her nude videos and photos of women and that he stop talking to Lively about his prior addiction to porn and his sexual conquests. Lively claimed that Baldoni's team then went on a smear campaign about her which hurt her businesses and her family, the suit alleged. Baldoni — who was on the TV show 'Jane the Virgin' — then countersued for $400 million for extortion and defamation against Lively and Reynolds. Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni's claims in June. Lawyers on both sides didn't immediately return requests for comment Monday afternoon.
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