Blake Lively Moves to Depose Key Player in ‘It Ends With Us’ Justin Baldoni Feud; Court Sets First Hearing

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Blake Lively is attempting to remove a crucial figure, who is connected to the public relations firm Street Relations, as they are believed to have contributed to the negative propaganda campaign instigated by Justin Baldoni.

On January 21st, Lively submitted a petition to the Texas state court, asking for permission to question Jed Wallace through a deposition. Wallace was mentioned in the complaint that Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department, but not in the lawsuit she filed in federal court. This filing aims to gather testimony that could be used in a future lawsuit or help investigate a possible claim within ongoing legal proceedings.

Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni claimed that Wallace was using a digital team to generate and share content on social media and online forums, which were designed to look genuine. Baldoni’s PR team, accused of masterminding the campaign, would then distribute parts of this fabricated content to journalists with the aim of making it trendy. The intention behind this was to make the public believe it, causing a natural backlash, and ultimately swaying public opinion against the actress.

Wallace, who referred to himself as a “freelancer” and claimed to possess a unique method for identifying artists and trends, was hired by Melissa Nathan and her PR agency The Agency Group, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit further revealed that Wallace took steps to promote controversial discussions about Lively on Reddit, while simultaneously defending Baldoni in these online forums.

In a move suggesting openness to a court order limiting Baldoni’s legal team, a federal judge in New York brought forward a hearing to address intensifying demands from Lively and her husband Reynolds for Freedman, the lawyer for the “It Ends With Us” star and director, to cease discussing the case publicly and prevent influencing potential jurors.

Following a second letter from Lively and Reynolds’ legal team alleging Freedman’s ongoing breach of court rules through media comments on Baldoni and Wayfarer Productions, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman decided to advance the pretrial hearing from Feb 11 to Feb 3. The legal teams of Lively and Reynolds, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher, had previously requested a gag order last week.

In the court filing made on Monday, Lively argues that the continuous flow of harmful and pre-trial media comments needs to cease. According to Lively, these actions are being bankrolled by a billionaire who has vowed to spend $100 million with the intention of damaging Lively’s life and the lives of her family members. Freedman, who is said to have this financial backing, is allegedly employing this money, his client list, both current and former, and a blatant media and social media campaign aimed at tarnishing Lively’s reputation before the trial begins.

The woman who’s both an actress and producer is alleging that Baldoni behaved inappropriately sexually on the movie set, and additionally, orchestrated a negative campaign post-release of the film. Later, Baldoni countered with a complaint against the actress and her husband Ryan Reynolds, asking for at least $400 million in compensation.

Additionally, Liman disclosed that the court intends to merge the distinct legal cases and schedule the trial for March 2026.

The legal team of Lively and Reynolds wrote a letter to Liman on Monday, which was initiated following a detailed statement made by Freedman to media outlets like TMZ on January 25. The statement emphasized that accusing innocent individuals of serious allegations such as sexual harassment without considering the devastating impact it could have on them and the broader domestic violence community calls for accountability. They stand by the court but will not be intimidated by those who question their ability to defend their clients using only accurate, unaltered facts.

The letter from Lively and Reynolds’ legal team to Liman on Monday was prompted by Freedman’s long statement to media outlets like TMZ on January 25, where he expressed concern about accusing innocent people of serious allegations like sexual harassment without considering the damage it could do to both them and the entire domestic violence community. He believes that accountability is necessary for such malicious actions. They respect the court but won’t let themselves be pressured by those who doubt their commitment to defending their clients with truthful, unedited facts.

Lawyers for Baldoni and his colleagues have frequently contended that the actor-producer, who co-founded Wayfarer with billionaire Steve Sarowitz, has been “extremely detrimental,” with the director of It Ends With Us and his team being “ostracized from respectable circles” and incurring damages estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars as a result of Ms. Lively’s relentless media blitz.

Simultaneously, attorneys for both Lively and Reynolds are expressing concerns about a proposed website that Baldoni intends to set up, which will strengthen his case with videos, texts, emails, among other things. Lively’s lawyers claim it would be impossible to determine what information Baldoni may have left out or deleted. According to their Monday filing, “Mr. Freedman is evidently using this extrajudicial campaign to sway these court proceedings and the public’s view of legal documents submitted herein. There’s already a significant risk that his misconduct is contaminating the potential jury. Moreover, he has made it clear that his main goal is to sabotage Blake Lively’s career permanently by, among other actions, launching a website to selectively release incriminating documents and communications between Lively and Baldoni.

As a gaming enthusiast jumping into this tale, I’m not just one character, but I’ve got Baldoni in my corner too, battling it out in a separate legal squabble against The New York Times. They ran a deep-dive story about Lively’s experiences on the set of It Ends With Us, a production financed by Wayfarer and distributed by Sony.

In response to Monday’s letter submitted on behalf of Lively and Reynolds, Freedman stated, “The irony remains thick for team Lively/Reynolds. Our forthcoming website aims to counteract exactly what they themselves did when they provided false information to the New York Times. We will not be selective, we will not pick and choose our facts, and we will not manipulate text messages. Ms. Lively and Mr. Reynolds seem unaware that there is not one set of rules for them and another for everyone else. If they attempt to unethically suppress the truth by using their influence in Hollywood, we will resist at every turn. We are not intimidated by them, we will not be silenced by them. Defending ourselves is not retaliation; it is an exercise of our human rights.

In a letter penned by Michael Gottlieb, a lawyer for Lively, it’s stated that if Mr. Freedman is allowed to act as he wishes, it could lead to a competition of revealing private text messages to the media, often referred to as an “arms race.” He explains that since The Wayfarer parties filed numerous lawsuits against various parties, they had ample chance to include in their court documents any text messages or other evidence they deemed relevant to their claims. In simpler terms, if Mr. Freedman proceeds with his actions, it could lead to a situation where everyone starts revealing private messages to the media, and since The Wayfarer parties have already filed lawsuits and had the opportunity to include any supportive evidence, allowing Mr. Freedman to do the same would not be fair or necessary.

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2025-01-28 06:25