Justin Baldoni Criticizes Blake Lively & Ryan Reynolds for Employing ‘Intimidation Tactic’ Following Gag Order Request

Lively and Reynolds’ request was in response to the released raw footage that seemingly disputes the actress’ sexual harassment claims.

In a statement from one of Justin Baldoni’s lawyers, he slammed Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’s request as “tactical gamesmanship” and “outrageous.”

Baldoni’s legal representatives have retaliated against Lively and Reynolds’ plea for a gag order against their lawyers, accusing Lively of triggering a media frenzy during their ongoing legal dispute.

In a statement shared with People Magazine, Baldoni’s attorney, Kevin Fritz, branded the proposed order an “intimidation tactic.”

Fritz requested that the order be denied, as Lively was the one who first made their legal tussle public.

Lively and Reynolds demanded the gag order on Tuesday, alleging that Bryan Freedman, the head of Baldoni’s legal team, spread false information about the case.

In reply, Baldoni’s attorney rebutted that Lively’s attempt to compel the Wayfarer Parties to defend themselves privately from publicly made accusations does not warrant a gag order, stating, “This is merely a strategic maneuver and is highly objectionable.”

Fritz mentioned that Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios associates have been “exiled from polite society and suffered damages totaling hundreds of millions of dollars” as a result of Lively’s lawsuits.

They say Baldoni faced “utterly calamitous” fallout, and they “instantly became objects of public scorn and contempt.”

The actor’s legal team argues that Lively started the “media feeding frenzy” by giving the New York Times a copy of her original complaint for an article explaining the details of her allegations against Baldoni and his associates.

Lively and Reynolds made the shocking request that a judge issue a gag order to Baldoni’s attorneys for making seemingly false statements about the case.

It comes after the couple responded to a clip released by the “It Ends With Us” director’s attorneys, which seemingly disputes her claim that he sexually harassed her while they filmed a romantic scene.

According to TMZ, they asked the court to issue a protective order to prevent Freedman from engaging in “improper conduct,” including going on an alleged “harassing and retaliatory media campaign” against them.

Lively and Reynolds claim Freedman is “violating court rules that stop a lawyer from making statements to the press that are irrelevant to a case and might prejudice the jury.”

The Hollywood power couple also mentioned the released unedited clips of the instance Baldoni allegedly sexually harassed her, saying it “corroborates, to the letter, what Ms. Lively described” in her initial complaint back in December.

Meanwhile, Lively and Reynolds would “imminently” be subpoenaed to provide all communications they shared about Baldoni and his film adaptation of author Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, “It Ends with Us.”

The subpoena would see them hand over all relevant correspondence, including emails, text messages, and any other forms of communication that may be deemed relevant to the case.

According to the Daily Mail, a source shared that the pair, along with their publicist Leslie Sloane, are also being hit with a deposition, which will see them ordered to provide hours of testimony and be quizzed by Baldoni’s lawyers.

“Unequivocally yes, all parties should be aware that they will be subpoenaed and deposed imminently,” the insider told the news outlet.

Lively initially filed a 10-claim complaint against Baldoni before filing a lawsuit on December 31, alleging that he sexually harassed her on the set of the film, as well as also mastermind a “coordinated effort to destroy” her reputation.

For his part, Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit, in which he accused her and her husband of using their celebrity power to hijack his film and relegate him and his family to the basement at the premiere.

According to reports, in the lawsuit, Baldoni claimed that “security personnel, acting as though there was a risk of ‘escape,'” escorted Baldoni’s group to the basement of the building at the premiere in New York City on August 6, 2024.

“Surrounded by close friends, family, soda bottles, and a lot of love, the irony of being held in a basement on what was arguably one of the most important nights of Baldoni’s career thus far was not lost on anyone,” Baldoni’s lawsuit stated.