Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds Seek Gag Order Against Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Bryan Freedman

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The back-and-forth continues.

After just a few hours since Justin Baldoni’s team exposed set footage from “It Ends With Us,” lawyers for Blake Lively requested the presiding court to enforce a non-disclosure order against Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney. They claimed that he has been fueling an alleged defamation campaign against Lively by continuously speaking to the media, disclosing information to sway public opinion in favor of his clients, and spreading falsehoods. As a gamer, I can relate to the tension between these two parties and the drama unfolding like a thrilling game of strategy!

In an unexpected turn, Freedman remained silent on the matter, but allies of Baldoni claim it’s “unfair to apply a restraining order given that Justin was harmed by a defamatory article in The New York Times, which they allege cost him three job opportunities and hundreds of millions of dollars.

According to the source, all Justin seeks is to share videos and messages to demonstrate the accusations are unfounded. The source finds it hard to believe that Blake Lively would launch an attack against Justin, only for her to then request a ban on Justin’s ability to respond to these claims, making it impossible for him to defend himself.

Previously this month, Lively initiated a lawsuit in a federal court in New York alleging Baldoni of sexual harassment during the production of “It Ends With Us,” and further accusing him and his associates of organizing a defamation campaign following the film’s premiere. Baldoni, who served as both director and star in the movie alongside Lively, countered with a lawsuit last week against Lively and her husband Reynolds, demanding at least $400 million in compensation. He is being represented by attorney Freedman, who is known for his aggressive approach to media interactions (at one point, he threatened to sue anyone involved in certain “despicable” actions into “nonexistence”).

The letter under discussion was a cease-and-desist notice that Lively had sent to Freedman last month. It asserted that Freedman had made defamatory remarks and acted unlawfully in retaliation against the actress, citing his interviews with the media following Lively’s complaint to the California Civil Rights Department, as well as releasing a copy of the document.

The note made clear that lawyers aren’t PR specialists. Instead, we adhere to a distinct set of ethical rules compared to publicists and crisis managers. One such rule is the prohibition on intentionally distorting facts, regardless of whether it benefits our clients or not.”

(Note: I tried to maintain the original tone and message while making the sentence structure more conversational.)

In the list of supposedly untrue claims mentioned in the cease-and-desist, Freedman stated that “no preventive actions were taken regarding media or otherwise,” that “the representatives from Wayfarer Studios failed to take any proactive steps or retaliate, instead only responding to incoming media inquiries to maintain a fair and accurate portrayal of the facts and keeping track of social media activity.

As a devoted fan, I shared the news on Tuesday when Baldoni’s team submitted a gag order, coinciding with their release of footage to the media, starting with Daily Mail. Baldoni himself has openly stated multiple times that he and his team have no secrets to hide, and this footage supports his stance. Moreover, they are meticulously preparing a website to share all related correspondence and videos—materials they claim will contradict Lively’s assertions.

As a gamer, I’d rephrase it like this: When Gottlieb spoke out, he pointed out that leaking that footage, along with other moves during his media blitz, broke some professional rules for lawyers. One rule specifically states that lawyers can’t make statements outside of court that might influence the outcome of legal proceedings.

The letter pointed out that his actions might negatively impact both the Lively Case and the Wayfarer Case by potentially influencing the jury, due to a strategy he’s using where he shares information with the media that may not be allowed in court. One problem it highlighted was him disclosing evidence to the press which could be deemed inadmissible in a court of law.

Legal representatives for Lively have requested that the court arrange a hearing to potentially impose a restraining order on Freedman, limiting what can be said publicly about the case. Both Lively (by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher) and Reynolds are represented by these two law firms.

On prior occasions, comments made by Freedman to the media have put him in a precarious position. In the recent past, Michael Kassan, founder of MediaLink, filed a defamation suit against him over accusations that he intentionally harmed Kassan’s reputation at the behest of UTA to discourage his employees and clients from joining his future endeavors. The allegedly damaging statements involved Freedman labeling Kassan as a “pathological liar.” However, this lawsuit was eventually dropped.

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2025-01-23 22:55