Blake Lively’s lawyers are accusing Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, of making “misleading and selective” public statements about the actress and the ongoing legal dispute with the actor and director, and are asking a court for a hearing “to address appropriate attorney conduct going forward.”
Lively’s legal team filed a request in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, the same day that Freedman released video from the set of “That’s It,” the film at the center of the ongoing legal battle. progress, claiming that the footage “refutes” Lively’s characterization of Baldoni’s behavior.
Freedman also said Tuesday that they have plans to create a website containing more correspondence and footage that they say will discredit Lively’s claims.
In a letter, archived after the video footage was released on Tuesday and obtained by CNN Lively’s lawyers cite that they have previously sent two cease and desist letters since she filed her initial complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights on December 21.
The first of these letters was sent to “The Wayfarer Parties,” which includes members of Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, and members of Baldoni’s publicity team. The second was sent “directly to Mr. Freedman,” asking him to stop “making further defamatory and retaliatory statements regarding Ms. Lively” and saying that his public statements are “unprotected by litigation privilege.”
In the letter to Freedman, Lively’s legal team sought to issue a reminder that “lawyers are not publicity agents” and that lawyers are “required to follow a different set of professional standards than publicists and crisis managers.”
“Since the Wayfarer Parties and Mr. Freedman received the cease and desist letters, they have continued their media campaign of harassment and retaliation, with almost daily statements to the media or other press releases,” read part of the letter that the team Lively’s legal filing filed with the court on Tuesday.
Lively’s lawyers argue that Freedman’s conduct “threatens and will materially harm” both Lively’s sexual harassment case and Baldoni’s defamation case “by tainting the jury,” and are asking the court to schedule a hearing “to address the appropriate conduct of counsel going forward in these two related matters.”
They intend to seek a “protective order to govern future proceedings in this case” but say a hearing is necessary “given the imminent harm caused by Mr. Freedman’s misleading and selective statements and leaks,” according to the letter.
THE CNN has reached out to representatives for Freedman and Lively, respectively, for comment. Baldoni and Lively are in a legal battle that began in December, when Lively filed her initial complaint that preceded her sexual harassment civil suit.
In her lawsuit, Lively said that while filming “That’s How It Ends,” a meeting was held with Baldoni, Lively and several production executives to address a “hostile work environment that nearly derailed the production.”
After she raised concerns about “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior by Mr. Baldoni,” her lawsuit alleged that Baldoni’s public relations representatives orchestrated a campaign of “social manipulation” intended to damage his media reputation in retaliation. .
Baldoni denied Lively’s allegations. He filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times in December, where he claimed the paper published a follow-up article that was “riddled with inaccuracies, misrepresentations and omissions” that relied on the “self-serving narrative.” by Lively.
The New York Times told CNN in a statement at the time that they stand by their reporting, saying, in part, that their story “was meticulously and responsibly reported.” Baldoni also filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane earlier this month.
At the time, Lively’s lawyer told CNN in a statement that Baldoni’s lawsuit “is another chapter in the abuser’s playbook. This is an old story: a woman speaks out with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser tries to turn the tables on the victim.”
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This content was originally published in Blake Lively requests a hearing after comments from Justin Baldoni’s lawyer on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m Robert Neff, a professional writer and editor. I specialize in the entertainment section, providing up-to-date coverage on the latest developments in film, television and music. My work has been featured on World Stock Market and other prominent publications.
