Justin Baldoni’s team is accusing Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds of double standards after they filed a request for a gag order on his lawyer, Bryan Freedman.
Sources close to the director of It Ends With Us argue that the couple’s actions are “grossly unfair,” especially after the couple sought a judge’s intervention to stop Freedman from speaking to the media regarding Lively’s sexual harassment allegations, which were first reported by the New York Times.
Insiders representing Baldoni, known for his role in Jane the Virgin, find the couple’s motion “unbelievable,” suggesting that Freedman has only been protecting his client from Lively’s supposed “takedown campaign.”
Representatives for Lively, 37, and Reynolds, 48, did not immediately respond for comment.
The couple is requesting a protective order to prevent Freedman from releasing any case-related materials to the public.
In a letter submitted to Judge Lewis J. Liman on Tuesday, Lively and Reynolds’ legal team argued that Freedman’s media appearances could “taint the jury pool” if the sexual harassment case goes to trial.
“As Ms. Lively’s counsel has attempted, repeatedly, to caution Mr. Freedman, federal litigation must be conducted in court and according to the relevant rules of professional conduct,” the letter states, according to several outlets.
The couple’s lawyers also claim that Freedman has participated in multiple media interviews, podcasts, issued provocative written statements, and leaked information (including routine document preservation requests) to the Hollywood press and tabloids almost daily since Lively filed her complaint against Baldoni on December 20.
The letter further accuses Freedman of intentionally aiming to undermine the “character, credibility, and reputation” of various involved parties.
The request for a gag order follows Baldoni’s release of raw footage from It Ends With Us in an effort to challenge Lively’s sexual harassment claims, which he has firmly denied.
Baldoni’s legal team has also hinted at launching a website with additional details designed to disprove Lively’s allegations.
