Blake Lively has asked the judge presiding over her lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni to strengthen the case’s protective order on confidential filings, citing “violent, profane, sexist, and threatening communications” she’s received since the suit was filed.
In a letter submitted Thursday night and reviewed by Rolling Stone, Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds asked to modify the existing protective order by adding a “For Attorney’s Eyes Only” category that would help protect certain documents “of such a highly confidential and personal, sensitive, or proprietary nature that the revelation of such is likely to cause a competitive, business, commercial, financial, personal or privacy injury.”
In the letter, Lively’s attorneys wrote that one witness for the case who supports Lively had received a message that her family “would be sexually assaulted and killed unless the witness agreed to ‘make a statement and give the truth.’” Lively’s team also cited “pornographic trolling” that was “so vicious that Meta publicly stated that that “kind of online harassment is wrong and we condemn it,” linking to a TMZ article.
In a comment to Variety, Baldoni’s reps said he and his co-defendants have been given anonymous threats as well, saying, “We do not condone dangerous rhetoric targeted toward anyone no matter the situation.”
Lively sued Baldoni in December, along with the film’s producer James Heath, production company Wayfarer, Wayfarer co-founder Steve Sarowitz, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. She alleged that Baldoni sexually harassed her on set, and that Baldoni and the other co-defendants engaged in a smear campaign to attack her credibility. The defendants have denied the allegations, and Baldoni sued Lively and Reynolds for $400 million, claiming they tried to “destroy” him with a smear campaign of their own. Baldoni also sued the New York TImes, which broke the story of Lively’s legal action.
“Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth” Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement in January. “Ms. Lively will never again be allowed to continue to exploit actual victims of real harassment solely for her personal reputation gain at the expense of those without power.”
Lively filed an amended complaint earlier this week, claiming that two other actresses confided in her that Baldoni had made them uncomfortable during the It Ends With Us filming. As detailed in a Hollywood Reporter story on Friday, Jenny Slate filed a complaint against Heath over comments he made to her about the sanctity of motherhood that left her uncomfortable.
The case is expected to go to trial next year.
From Rolling Stone US
