Blake Lively's legal team has urged a court to impose strict confidentiality measures in her ongoing dispute with actor and director Justin Baldoni, warning that without them sensitive information could easily reach the media.
At a 90-minute hearing on Thursday, Lively's attorney Meryl Governski argued that a standard confidentiality order would be insufficient given that both sides employ publicists who regularly deal with the press. “There are 100 million reasons for these parties to leak information because the PR value is greater than complying with the court's orders,” she said.
Lively is suing Baldoni for sexual harassment and for orchestrating a media smear campaign, while Baldoni has countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation. The dispute centres on the rules governing the discovery process, with Lively's side seeking protection for what they describe as trade secrets, including marketing plans, business strategies and client lists.
Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, opposed the additional “attorneys eyes only” designation, arguing that a standard protective order would suffice and that it was “rather offensive” to suggest his side could not comply.”
Judge Lewis Liman did not issue a ruling but said he would do so shortly. He acknowledged that the case's high-profile nature would inevitably attract press attention, adding: “If you sue a high-profile person in this industry, it's going to get picked up by the press. The stuff that's highly relevant is going to end up being disclosed.”
