Blake Lively tense exchange with Justin Baldoni's lawyer over 'smear campaign' is revealed in deposition ahead of legal showdown with her It Ends With Us co-star
The actress, 37, filed a lawsuit in December against Justin, 41, his Wayfarer Studios team, their publicist and PR representatives, alleging sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign - which they have all denied.
Blake then gave evidence under oath during a deposition hearing in New York on July 30, with her remarks now being revealed in a transcript released after a court order.
According to People, which obtained a section of the deposition, Blake claimed that she doesn't feel like the alleged 'smear campaign' against her has ended.
She was reportedly asked by an unnamed lawyer for her It Ends With Us co-star Justin: 'When did the smear campaign end?'
To which she replied: 'It doesn't feel like it's ended.'
When quizzed on if it was still 'ongoing', Blake added: 'It feels that way, yes,' before claiming she believed all of the defendants and the lawyer were involved in the alleged campaign.
'I believe the act of a retaliatory lawsuit and the press that you have done and the statements that you have made about me and my character have felt incredibly retaliatory,' she added.
Justin's $400million countersuit was dismissed by a judge in June.
On August 7, a spokesperson for Blake said in a statement they were 'pleased with the outcome of her deposition and looked forward to deposing Justin and each of the co-defendants in short order'.
The full deposition transcript reportedly spans nearly 300 pages and a portion was made public following Judge Lewis J. Liman's order from August 8.
The lawyer in question wasn't named but in June, Justin's attorney Bryan Freedman told TMZ that he would question Blake under oath.
At the time, he also told how Justin was seeking to be 'vindicated' and 'wants the truth to come out in the appropriate way'.
The lawyer added: 'He's waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth.'
Filings show Blake's lawyers accused Justin's team of leaking deposition details to create a 'media circus' and advance a narrative of a direct confrontation.
Justin's lawyers have countered any leaks could have originated from Blake, her actor husband Ryan Reynolds, her attorneys or staff.
Multiple defendants and eight attorneys were present at her deposition, while Blake also arrived supported by her sister and best friend Robyn and husband Ryan Reynolds.
However, they were not with her in the room when she gave evidence over the course of a long day.
During the deposition, Blake gave her account of events which led up to her filing a lawsuit against Justin in December of last year.
The mother-of-four had claimed Justin, 41, was able to nuzzle her neck and comment on the way she smelled without anyone else on set hearing because their microphones were switched off.
But footage later emerged seeming to prove the opposite - not only were the microphones on, but the pair had spent most of the scene chatting about their respective spouses.
Blake's claims that Justin orchestrated a negative media campaign against her have also been called into question thanks to her reliance on what his team have described as 'doctored' texts.
Documents filed by Justin claim that the texts between his publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, had been edited to remove context and were incomplete.
Earlier this year, a New York judge tossed Blake's emotional distress claim after she refused to release her medical records to Justin's team.
But last month, Blake claimed total 'vindication' after the judge sensationally tossed almost all of Justin's $400million countersuit against the actress and her husband Ryan.
There will be further depositions before the case comes to trial in March next year.
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