Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni muzzled by judge in heated sexual harassment battle
2025-02-04
Category: entertainment

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's attorneys were in court Monday to discuss what can and cannot be said to the public on behalf of their clients. A judge ordered the stars' legal teams to follow the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which limit speaking to the press. Neither party will be allowed to make statements to the press that have a "substantial likelihood" of prejudicing a jury. However, the legal teams will be allowed to defend their client in the media against publicity not created by either side.&nbsp; Lively and Baldoni's respective legal teams appeared in federal court Monday to discuss a potential gag order and the actress' alleged refusal to allow the "Jane the Virgin" star's lawyer to lead her deposition. Attorneys for both sides claimed the actors had lost out on "hundreds of millions of dollars in damages" due to statements made in the press following Lively's initial sexual harassment claims. JUSTIN BALDONI APOLOGIZES TO BLAKE LIVELY IN 6-MINUTE VOICE NOTE AFTER ‘IT ENDS WITH US’ ROOFTOP SCENE   A proposed protective order is due March 11 and the trial date is still set for March 2026. Lively had specifically accused Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, of attacking her character in statements shared with the media. However, Freedman seemed "pleased" with the outcome of Monday's court hearing. "Our clients are devastated and want to move the case along as quickly as possible," Freedman told reporters outside the courthouse. "We just couldn’t be more pleased with how the case was handled today, how it was managed." "We’re going to move as quickly as we possibly can and prove our innocence, in a world where sometimes people judge you before they give you a chance. And we’re going to change that." WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI'S LAWYER CLAIMS ACTOR IS ‘LOOKING FOR JUSTICE’ IN BLAKE LIVELY LEGAL BATTLE  Lively's team said they are "pleased with the result of today’s hearing and eager to move forward immediately with discovery in this case." "The Court granted our request that all attorneys in the matter actually follow the rule of law and not make any statements that could prejudice a jury," Lively's lawyers, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.&nbsp; "This case deals with serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. We&nbsp;will hold the defendants accountable, and we are confident that once all the evidence is submitted in this matter, Ms. Lively will prevail."  LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS Ahead of the hearing, lawyers for Lively slammed Baldoni's lawyer for making multiple statements to the media that they said could ultimately taint the jury should the actress' sexual harassment complaints against Baldoni make it to a courtroom. "As Ms. Lively’s counsel have attempted, repeatedly, to caution Mr. Freedman, federal litigation must be conducted in court and according to the relevant rules of professional conduct," a letter, obtained by Fox News Digital and filed with the court, stated. "His conduct threatens to, and will, materially prejudice both the Lively Case and the Wayfarer Case by tainting the jury pool, because his statements are deliberately aimed at undermining the ‘character, credibility, [and] reputation’ of numerous relevant parties." CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER  Baldoni and Lively became embroiled in a legal back-and-forth after filming the Colleen Hoover-adapted film, "It Ends With Us." The "Gossip Girl" actress claimed she experienced sexual harassment on set and sued Baldoni in December. Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more made by Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights Department and later in federal court. Some of the issues allegedly addressed at an "all-hands" meeting before filming resumed included no more showing nude videos or images of women to Lively, no more mention of Baldoni’s previous "pornography addiction," no more discussions about personal experiences with sex, no more descriptions of their own genitalia, no more adding sex scenes outside what was in the original script, no more discussions about Lively’s weight or deceased father and more.  However, Baldoni insisted Lively "falsely" accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation amid the fallout around the movie's press tour after the actress took control of the film, in his own lawsuit filed in January. Baldoni's legal team claimed Lively had no evidence of a deliberate smear campaign and instead worked to repair her reputation by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment. Both Baldoni and Lively have denied the allegations against them.  CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP