Latest news with #WayfarerDefendants
Metro
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Blake Lively accuses Justin Baldoni of ‘leaking' details of 'showdown'
In a development worthy of a courtroom drama, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni came face-to-face for Lively's deposition on July 31 for the first time since their public fallout. It's now evident that the meet-up didn't go well, with a letter from her attorneys filed yesterday in federal court accusing Baldoni's team of 'immediately leaking details from the deposition to the tabloid media.' The letter read: '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 read, asking the judge to seal the record, according to Deadline. '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.' The letter continues: '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 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 filed the same day Blake Lively's deposition transcript was temporarily sealed, attorney Kevin Fritz hinted at the contents of her testimony. 'Upon questioning by Freedman at her recent deposition, Lively admitted that the only ongoing 'smear campaign' she has personal knowledge of involves (redacted),' he wrote. Some of the details Blake's team is accusing Baldoni's of leaking include: what she was wearing, the exact start time (10:13 a.m. ET), that her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accompanied her, what was said by her legal team, and that Justin Baldoni himself was present. '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,' attorney Hudson wrote in a letter to Judge Liman, who has previously expressed frustration over such tactics. The tense reunion took place inside a law office in Manhattan for Lively's deposition as part of her case against Baldoni, following drama during the filming of It Ends With Us. The pair, who starred in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name last year, have been embroiled in a bitter feud in recent months. In December, the Gossip Girl actress, 37, launched legal proceedings against the 41-year-old – who also served as director – over claims she suffered 'severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration and mental anguish'. He denied all claims and filed a countersuit against her, husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, Leslie Sloane – alleging extortion and defamation – as well as separate documents against the New York Times. According to People Magazine, Judge Lewis J Liman granted a motional to dismiss the $400m countersuit, as well as the defamation filing against the publication. Now, according to reports from TMZ and ABC News, Baldoni made the decision to attend Lively's deposition in person on July 31 at her legal team's office in New York. The private testimony took place behind closed doors with only legal representatives, a court reporter, and a videographer present. The deposition marks a dramatic milestone in the escalating legal saga between the two stars. Despite the dismissed suits, tensions remain high — and public. Back in May, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, made headlines with a provocative suggestion: that Lively's deposition be held live at Madison Square Garden, with proceeds going to organizations supporting victims of domestic abuse. 'Since Ms. Lively is open to testifying, let's make it count,' he said at the time. More Trending Though the MSG event never happened, Freedman confirmed this week that Baldoni was determined to be physically present for Lively's deposition – a clear signal that he intends to keep the pressure on ahead of their scheduled trial in March 2026. Cameras will not be allowed in the courtroom, but both Lively and Baldoni have committed to taking the stand. Lively's attorney, Mike Gottlieb, previously confirmed that Lively intends to testify when the case finally goes to trial. A version of this article was first published August 1, 2025. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Orlando Bloom slammed for posting naked photo of daughter Daisy, 4 MORE: Zara McDermott and Louis Tomlinson 'hard launch' relationship with snogging snap MORE: Kelly Osbourne says she won't 'be ok for a while' following Ozzy's death
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- 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.
