‘We will not tolerate such examination’: Blake Lively’s legal team escalates fight with Justin Baldoni
The legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over alleged harassment during the filming of It Ends With Us continues to intensify, with no clear end in sight. According to a new report from PEOPLE Magazine, the case has taken a significant turn after Lively’s legal team formally requested sanctions against Baldoni’s defense attorneys. The request centers on what Lively’s lawyers describe as repeated “deposition misconduct” during discovery.
In newly filed court documents, Lively’s attorneys allege that Baldoni’s legal team crossed professional and legal boundaries by questioning the actress about her sexual history during depositions. The filings claim the defense displayed a “basic lack of decorum” and violated principles tied to the rape shield law, which is intended to protect survivors of sexual abuse or assault from being interrogated about their sexual past in legal proceedings.
Lively’s team reportedly argues that such lines of questioning are not only irrelevant to the case but also explicitly prohibited. Rape shield laws generally exist to prevent harassment and humiliation of alleged victims by keeping their sexual history out of court unless it is directly relevant.
“Throughout discovery, multiple defense counsel insisted on making speaking objections, often in depositions they were not defending, and consuming time on the record to demean and orate,” Lively’s attorney, Michael J. Gottlieb, wrote in the filing.
The documents further state that this behavior was not an isolated incident. According to Lively’s legal team, they raised concerns with opposing counsel weeks earlier. In a letter dated September 29, they formally demanded that the questioning stop, citing what they described as “inappropriate and unprofessional behavior.”
At the time, Lively’s attorneys made their position unmistakably clear, writing, “Ms. Lively’s sexual and/or romantic history has no bearing on the matters at issue in this case, and we will not tolerate such examination.”
The request for sanctions signals a major escalation in the case, suggesting that Lively’s team believes standard objections are no longer sufficient to address the conduct they allege occurred during depositions. Sanctions could range from financial penalties to limits on what Baldoni’s attorneys are allowed to argue or introduce moving forward.
The lawsuit itself stems from allegations of harassment tied to the production of It Ends With Us, a high-profile film adaptation that has drawn significant public attention. As the legal fight grows more contentious, the latest filings indicate the dispute may shift from the underlying claims to the conduct of the attorneys involved.
For now, the case remains active, with both sides preparing for what appears to be a prolonged and increasingly heated legal battle.
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