Justin Baldoni fires back at Blake Lively's gag order attempt, calling it 'tactical gamesmanship'
2025-01-25
Category: entertainment

Justin Baldoni's legal team is not letting Blake Lively's gag order request go quietly. Earlier this week, the actress demanded a gag order be enforced against Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, after Freedman released unedited footage from the "It Ends With Us" set.&nbsp; In a court filing Tuesday, Lively's team slammed Freedman for making multiple statements to the media that could taint a jury should the actress's sexual harassment complaints against Baldoni make it to a courtroom. On Jan. 23, Baldoni's lawyers filed a response, calling Lively's gag order attempt an "intimidation tactic" and "tactical gamesmanship." JUSTIN BALDONI CLAIMS UNEDITED ‘IT ENDS WITH US’ FOOTAGE REFUTES BLAKE LIVELY'S SEXUAL HARASSMENT ACCUSATIONS&nbsp;  "Having publicly made ruinous allegations that the Wayfarer Parties can prove are false, the Lively Parties now invoke attorney disciplinary rules as an intimidation tactic," Baldoni's legal team wrote. "The Lively Parties’ desire to force the Wayfarer Parties to defend themselves privately against allegations made publicly is not a proper basis for a gag order. It is tactical gamesmanship, and it is outrageous." "It is tactical gamesmanship, and it is outrageous." The filing states that, after a "bombshell" New York Times article included Lively's allegations of sexual harassment against Baldoni, releasing the unedited "This Ends With Us" footage has been vital to protecting their client. BLAKE LIVELY'S 'IT ENDS WITH US' COSTARS BRANDON SKLENAR, JENNY SLATE 'ADMIRE HER BRAVERY' AMID LAWSUIT They called the backlash from the article "utterly calamitous," adding that Baldoni and his team have been "exiled from polite society" because of it. The letter also said Baldoni has suffered damages "totaling hundreds of millions of dollars due to Ms. Lively’s scorched-earth media campaign." Representatives for Lively did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. The unedited "This Ends With Us" video, shared by Baldoni's attorney and obtained by Fox News Digital, allegedly addresses the actress's claims about a slow-dance scene. WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI RELEASES UNEDITED 'IT ENDS WITH US' FOOTAGE FEATURING BLAKE LIVELY  Lively claimed Baldoni "leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, ‘It smells so good,'" while filming a slow dance montage scene, according to her Dec. 20 sexual harassment lawsuit obtained by Fox News Digital.&nbsp; "When Ms. Lively later objected to this behavior, Mr. Baldoni’s response was, ‘I’m not even attracted to you.’" LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS However, Baldoni insisted the comment was made in regard to Lively's own admission about her spray tan. Throughout the video, nearly 10 minutes of raw footage, Baldoni is directing the scene while Lively engages him in conversation because she states that it's "more romantic" than just staring at each other.&nbsp; While Baldoni snuggled into Lively's neck, the actor jokingly asked, "Am I getting beard on you today?" She laughed and said, "I'm probably getting spray tan on you." Baldoni then stated, "It smells good," to which Lively responded, "Well, it's not that. It's my body makeup."  The videos "captured on May 23, 2023, clearly refute Ms. Lively's characterization of his behavior," a statement shared at the beginning of the clip stated. "The scene in question was designed to show the two characters falling in love and longing to be close to one another. Both actors are clearly behaving well within the scope of the scene and with mutual respect and professionalism. These are all three takes filmed of the sequence." Lively's legal team claimed the unedited video is "damning evidence" and "corroborates" her allegations of sexual harassment.   "Justin Baldoni and his lawyer may hope that this latest stunt will get ahead of the damaging evidence against him, but the video itself is damning. Every frame of the released footage corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described in Paragraph 48 of her complaint," Lively's legal team said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.&nbsp; "The video shows Mr. Baldoni repeatedly leaning in toward Ms. Lively, attempting to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, flicking her lip with his thumb, caressing her, telling her how good she smells, and talking with her out of character. CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER "Every moment of this was improvised by Mr. Baldoni with no discussion or consent in advance and no intimacy coordinator present. Mr. Baldoni was not only Ms. Lively’s co-star, but the director, the head of studio and Ms. Lively’s boss.  "The video shows Ms. Lively leaning away and repeatedly asking for the characters to just talk. Any woman who has been inappropriately touched in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort. They will recognize her attempts at levity to try to deflect the unwanted touching. No woman should have to take defensive measures to avoid being touched by their employer without their consent." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last week, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.&nbsp; Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.