Latest news with #WayfarerParties
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blake Lively Gains Control Of Deposition After Judge Sides With Her In Legal Feud
has been granted a protective order ahead of her upcoming deposition in the ongoing legal showdown with her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director, . The court's decision comes after Lively requested the protective order, citing concerns over privacy and control regarding the setting and attendees of the July 17 deposition. Blake Lively's legal team emphasized the importance of safeguarding the process amid heightened media attention and a history of what they describe as Justin Baldoni's efforts to sensationalize the case. Blake Lively Wins Protective Order To Set Terms For Deposition In Baldoni Case According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman approved the order on Monday, July 14, allowing the 37-year-old actress to control the conditions of her testimony. Per the ruling, Baldoni's legal team must conduct the deposition at a location chosen by Lively, with access to a computer, printing, and copying equipment. Additionally, Baldoni's team must notify Lively of everyone attending the deposition by noon on July 15. Baldoni's lawyers strongly opposed the request, accusing Lively of using her "celebrity status" to dictate the terms. In a letter submitted on July 13, Baldoni's team argued, "Lively is a plaintiff who has hurled serious allegations of misconduct against the Wayfarer Parties. Like all defendants, the Wayfarer Parties are entitled to depose Lively... They are also entitled to choose the location of the deposition, which they did." Lively's Harassment Lawsuit Against Justin Baldoni Heats Up As Trial Looms The bitter legal battle began after Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation during the production of "It Ends With Us." Baldoni has vehemently denied the claims and previously filed counterclaims against Lively and her husband, , alleging defamation and extortion, claims that Judge Liman has since dismissed. Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's high-profile attorney, has made repeated public comments about his strategy, including a now-viral interview on TMZ Live in which he said, "I'm gonna ask her questions under penalty of perjury... We have all of the videotapes, all the footage. We have the text messages and we have emails. We're gonna see how consistent her testimony is with the actual facts of what transpired." Blake Lively Condemns Baldoni's Legal Team For Turning Harassment Case Into 'Public Spectacle' Freedman also made headlines earlier this year when he sarcastically proposed hosting Lively's deposition at Madison Square Garden, selling tickets or live-streaming the event to raise money for victims of domestic abuse. In response, Lively's team issued a statement on July 11 condemning the attempt to turn a serious legal matter into "a public spectacle." "Justin Baldoni's lawyer has tried to make this matter a public spectacle at every turn, even proposing to sell tickets to a televised deposition at Madison Square Garden," her rep said. "This is a serious matter of sexual harassment and retaliation, and it deserves to be treated as such." Justin Baldoni Scores Small Legal Win This all comes after Justin Baldoni secured a minor legal victory in his ongoing legal battle. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that Baldoni and his legal team may review select private text messages exchanged between Lively and her close friend , marking a new development in the closely watched case. The ruling allows Baldoni limited access to the private conversations to determine whether any discussions between Lively and Swift pertain directly to the actress's allegations of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation. The court emphasized that only messages relevant to the case can be examined, and Judge Liman cautioned that the review must remain narrowly focused. While Lively's legal team fought to exclude Swift from the discovery process entirely, their motion was denied, opening the door for Baldoni's team to potentially glean insight into Lively's claims from her private exchanges with the pop star. Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400M Defamation Suit While Justin Baldoni had a small victory, he also suffered a major legal setback when U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed his massive $400 million defamation countersuit against Lively, Reynolds, and The New York Times. The lawsuit, filed just weeks after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, alleged the trio had orchestrated a smear campaign to damage his reputation. The dismissal marked a turning point in the escalating legal battle, and Lively broke her silence shortly after the ruling with an emotional statement shared on her Instagram Stories. "Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us," she wrote on June 9. "While the suit against me was defeated, so many don't have the resources to fight back." Both Lively and Baldoni are expected to testify when the case goes to trial in March 2026 in New York. Solve the daily Crossword
Pink Villa
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni's Deposition Postponed to THIS Date Amid Ongoing Legal Battle, Here's Why
Blake Lively's deposition date in the Justin Baldoni case has been postponed. The proceedings will now take place on July 31. According to media reports, the decision to push back the date was taken after Jed Wallace, a social media guru, was dismissed from the lawsuit due to jurisdiction issues. Because Wallace was dismissed without prejudice, the actress has the option to refile the lawsuit if she wishes to. Blake Lively's deposition date in Justin Baldoni case postponed As the decision about the postponement of the deposition was made public, a spokesperson for the Another Simple Favor star revealed to TMZ that Lively respects the court's decision to dismiss Wallace from the case. Adding the reason behind the judge's ruling, the source revealed to the media portal that it "has nothing to do with the merits of her allegations about Mr. Wallace's role in the smear campaign and relates solely to the procedural question of whether he is subject to jurisdiction in New York or elsewhere.' Lively's team went on to state further that they are evaluating "numerous options for holding Mr. Wallace accountable." Meanwhile, ahead of the deposition in the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni case, the actress was granted a protective order. The judge ruled that the defendant relocate to the place decided by the mother of four. In its statement, the court mentioned, "Lively is a plaintiff who has hurled serious allegations of misconduct against the Wayfarer Parties.' They further added, "Like all defendants, the Wayfarer Parties are entitled to depose Lively to develop evidence crucial to their defense. They are also entitled to choose the location of the deposition, which they did." However, Baldoni's lawyers accused the Age of Adaline actress of using her star power to control the deposition. While the proceeding of the case will take place at the end of this month, the trial dates in the legal battle have been set for March 2026.
Perth Now
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Blake Lively's deposition delayed
Blake Lively's deposition has been pushed back by two weeks. The former Gossip Girl star is suing her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation and after she was granted a protective order on Monday (14.07.25) which agreed to her request for the legal meeting to take place in an undisclosed location, it has now been rescheduled. According to court documents seen by People magazine on Wednesday (16.07.25), legal counsel for both sides met and mutually agreed to move the deposition from Thursday (17.07.25) to 31 July. Meanwhile, Blake's lawsuit against Texas-based publicist and social media expert Jed Wallace has been dismissed on jurisdictional grounds. The 37-year-old star had filed a civil rights complaint against the Street Relations, Inc. founder and alleged he had been hired by Justin's PR team to assist in a smear campaign against her. Blake accused Jed of having "weaponised a digital army around the country from New York to Los Angeles to create, seed and promote content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums." However, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted the PR expert's motion to dismiss without prejudice, meaning Blake has until 31 July to file an amended complaint or sue Jed in a different jurisdiction. Her representative said: "Ms. Lively respects the Court's decision, which has nothing to do with the merits of her allegations about Mr. Wallace's role in the smear campaign and relates solely to the procedural question of whether he is subject to jurisdiction in New York or elsewhere. "We currently are evaluating our numerous options for holding Mr. Wallace accountable for the pivotal role he served in the retaliatory effort that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties paid him at least tens of thousands of dollars a month to perform." Justin has denied Blake's allegations and his counterclaims against the Another Simple Favor star and her husband Ryan Reynolds - which included extortion and defamation - were dismissed last month. His legal team opted not to file an amended complaint. A trial is scheduled to take place in New York in March 2026, with both stars set to testify.
Pink Villa
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Blake Lively Receives Protective Order Ahead of Deposition Amid Her Ongoing Legal Battle With Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are headed for a deposition in the ongoing legal battle. Ahead of the proceedings, the actress has received a protective order from the judge, as per the documents obtained by People Magazine. According to the ruling, the judge mentioned that the mother of four must arrange a computer with the ability to print and copy the documents in a space chosen by the actress. Moreover, Baldoni and his team of lawyers must inform Lively about the number of members attending the deposition by July 15. Meanwhile, the ruling comes after the actress' team accused the It Ends With Us director's attorney of making the deposition 'a spectacle.' Judge grants Blake Lively a protective order The judge's ruling came after Blake Lively' s request for a protective order, asking the defendants to relocate to a venue decided by her. Previously, Jane the Virgin's lawyers accused the actress of using her star power in controlling the deposition. In his statement, the judge mentioned, "Lively is a plaintiff who has hurled serious allegations of misconduct against the Wayfarer Parties.' It further read, "Like all defendants, the Wayfarer Parties are entitled to depose Lively to develop evidence crucial to their defense. They are also entitled to choose the location of the deposition, which they did." In his interview with TMZ, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, revealed that he is looking forward to the deposition. Opening up on his strategy, the lawyer revealed, "I'm gonna ask her questions under penalty of perjury, and she's gonna have to provide evidence, and she's gonna have to provide the truth of the stories. We have all of the videotape, all the footage.' He further added, 'We have, you know, the text messages and we have emails. We're gonna see how consistent her testimony is with the actual facts of what transpired." Meanwhile, the trial for the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni case will begin in March 2026.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Taylor Swift's texts exposed in Blake Lively court loss — will this strain the popstar's relationship with Travis Kelce?
In a dramatic legal twist involving the upcoming film It Ends With Us, a judge has denied 's motion to keep her private messages with pop icon out of reach from 's legal team. The decision, handed down by Judge Lewis J. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Liman on June 18, 2025, underscores how deeply celebrity communications are becoming entangled in this high-profile legal showdown. Judge rejects Blake Lively's request to keep Taylor Swift texts private in explosive 'It Ends With Us' legal battle While Justin Baldoni initially subpoenaed Taylor Swift in connection with the harassment and retaliation lawsuit surrounding the production, the subpoena was later withdrawn. However, his team continued pressing for access to Blake Lively's conversations with Swift, arguing they were vital to understanding the environment on set and could potentially validate or refute Lively's allegations. Judge Liman ruled against both Lively's protective order and Baldoni's own cross-motion, stating, 'Lively's motion is rooted in the broader concern that the Wayfarer Parties are using demands for communications with Swift not 'to obtain information relevant to claims and defenses in court, but to prop up a public relations narrative outside of court.'' Lively's representative issued a strongly worded statement in response: 'We will continue to call out Baldoni's relentless efforts to exploit Ms. Swift's popularity, which from day one has been nothing more than a distraction from the serious sexual harassment and retaliation accusations he and the Wayfarer parties are facing.' The same representative pointed to earlier attempts by Baldoni's team to manipulate Swift's massive fan base, referencing a crisis PR strategy document that allegedly called her a 'bully' and encouraged a plan to sway public opinion by weaponizing her image. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Despite the judge's rejection of both motions, the legal tension remains high. The court acknowledged that Lively had represented Swift as having knowledge of conversations around the film's work environment, making the request for messages 'reasonably tailored.' Also Read: Swift, who contributed her song 'My Tears Ricochet' to the film's soundtrack but held no production role, has yet to comment on the controversy. What began as a literary adaptation has now evolved into a legal drama of its own—one involving pop royalty, Hollywood power players, and a courtroom spotlight none of them likely anticipated.
