Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni came face-to-face last week during a deposition in the ongoing legal battle over alleged sexual harassment and retaliation on the set of It Ends With Us. The actress's lawyers have now filed a motion accusing Baldoni's legal team of leaking details from the deposition to the media as part of a smear campaign.
In a letter to Judge Lewis Liman, Lively's attorney Esra Hudson condemned the decision to file the entire 292-page deposition transcript publicly, calling it a tactic to fuel a media campaign. Hudson argued that the move had no legal justification and served only to publicise the transcript as fodder for Baldoni's side.
The letter also highlighted that details from the deposition, including what Lively wore, the presence of her husband Ryan Reynolds, and the start time, appeared in outlets such as the Daily Mail and TMZ shortly after the session. Hudson claimed this demonstrated a pattern of leaking information to the tabloid media.
Lively's team noted that while Baldoni and his lawyer Bryan Freedman were present, so were several other individuals, including Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, Melissa Nathan, and Jennifer Abel, along with eight attorneys. They argued that the narrative suggesting Lively needed a large entourage was misleading.
The trial between Lively and Baldoni is scheduled to begin on March 9, 2026, after Baldoni's $400 million countersuit was dismissed in June. Meanwhile, a separate legal dispute is ongoing over insurance coverage for Baldoni's legal fees.
