Blake Lively’s Legal Battle With Justin Baldoni Takes A Turn In Her Favor

The authorized battle between Full of life and Baldoni started in December 2024, when the “Gossip Lady” alum sued Baldoni for sexual harassment, alleging that he made inappropriate remarks about her and Ryan Reynolds’ personal life and brazenly mentioned his previous struggles with pornography habit.

Now, the case has taken a flip as a decide has granted Blake Full of life’s request for a protecting order, stopping Baldoni from publicly releasing delicate materials associated to the case.

Based on courtroom paperwork obtained by Page Six on Thursday, Full of life’s authorized staff expressed issues that Baldoni would possibly leak personal movies, emails, and textual content messages, a few of which reportedly contain high-profile people, together with her well-known mates.

The ruling ensures that sure proof, together with private images, movies, audio recordings, private relationship particulars, and medical or psychological well being data, will likely be deemed confidential and restricted to attorneys’ eyes solely.

Nonetheless, a loophole within the ruling permits that any paperwork submitted as proof throughout the trial in March 2026 is not going to be sealed, making them accessible to the general public.

Regardless of this, Full of life’s authorized staff considers the ruling a victory.

“The Courtroom rejected the Wayfarer Events’ objections and entered the protections wanted to make sure the free stream of discovery materials with none threat of witness intimidation or hurt to any particular person’s safety,” her staff informed TMZ.

“With this order in place, Ms. Full of life will transfer ahead within the discovery course of to acquire much more of the proof that may show her claims in Courtroom,” they added.

Baldoni’s legal professional, Bryan Freedman, additionally responded to the ruling, telling Web page Six that they agreed with the choice’s “slim scope of protections.” Nonetheless, Freedman took problem with what he described as Full of life’s “exceedingly overbroad demand for paperwork” spanning two and a half years.

“We stay centered on the required communications that may instantly contradict Ms. Full of life’s unfounded accusations,” Freedman added. “We are going to oppose any efforts by Ms. Full of life and her staff to hamper our shoppers’ potential to defend towards her assaults by incorrectly categorizing necessary data as ‘commerce secrets and techniques.’”

The ruling follows a March 6 listening to, the place Full of life’s authorized staff argued that and not using a protecting order, there was a “vital likelihood of irreparable hurt” to high-profile people with no relevance to the case if sure communications have been made public.

Baldoni’s staff didn’t contest the necessity for confidentiality protections.

After Full of life’s preliminary submitting, Baldoni countersued in January 2025, submitting a $400 million defamation lawsuit towards his co-star and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

He additionally launched a website displaying textual content message exchanges with Full of life, which he claimed refuted her allegations. Baldoni’s authorized staff, headed by outstanding legal professional Bryan Freedman, knowledgeable TMZ that the web site will likely be commonly up to date to current a clear, factual account of occasions. Their intention is to provide the general public entry to the proof, permitting them to attract their very own conclusions. Nonetheless, evidently with the decide’s newest order, this may now not be the case.

One doc on the web site contains a number of textual content exchanges between Baldoni and Full of life, providing perception into their skilled dynamic throughout the improvement of the film.

A standout dialog from February 2023 captures Baldoni sharing script revisions with Full of life as they labored collectively to refine the movie. The messages recommend that past discussing the screenplay, they have been additionally establishing a way of belief and collaboration as co-stars.

In response to Baldoni’s notes, Full of life reassured him by replying, “You are protected right here,” implying that he might specific his ideas brazenly with out worry of judgment of their artistic discussions.

Along with the web site, and in response to Full of life’s December 20 sexual harassment criticism, Baldoni’s legal professional, Bryan Freedman, released behind-the-scenes footage from the set of the 2024 hit movie.

The video was introduced as proof to problem Full of life’s allegations, together with a declare concerning an interplay throughout a “sluggish dance scene” within the film.

Full of life alleged that Baldoni “leaned ahead and slowly dragged his lips from her ear down her neck,” whereas whispering, ‘It smells so good.’ Nonetheless, the launched footage provides a unique perspective.

Within the clip, Full of life may be heard joking, “I’m in all probability getting spray tan on you,” to which Baldoni laughs and replies, “It smells good.”

Because the case strikes ahead, all eyes will likely be on the courtroom showdown set for March 2026.