Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds demand gag order in Justin Baldoni case

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds demand gag order in Justin Baldoni case

Blake Energetic and Ryan Reynolds are hitting again at Energetic’s “It Ends with Us” co-star Justin Baldoni, after the actor’s authorized group launched behind-the-scenes footage from the controversial movie.

In a letter to Choose Lewis J. Liman within the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, attorneys for the A-list couple accused Baldoni and his authorized group of constant their “harassing and retaliatory media marketing campaign” towards Energetic with “nearly day by day media statements or different releases to the press,” in line with courtroom paperwork obtained by USA TODAY.

The submitting comes after Baldoni’s attorneys launched behind-the-scenes footage on Tuesday of an intimate scene Baldoni and Energetic carried out within the romantic drama. In an emailed assertion to USA TODAY on Tuesday, Energetic’s authorized group blasted the footage’s launch as a “stunt” by Baldoni’s attorneys that reinforces “deceptive media narratives.”

Earlier than Tuesday’s letter, Energetic and Reynolds’ authorized group despatched a cease-and-desist letter to Baldoni’s legal professional Bryan Freedman in December 2024 requesting that he chorus from making “defamatory and retaliatory statements regarding Ms. Energetic.” Round this time, a cease-and-desist was additionally despatched to Baldoni and his enterprise associates asking them to halt “all illegal conduct towards the Energetic-Reynolds events and their associates.”

“Nearly every single day since, Mr. Freedman has given tv interviews, appeared on podcasts, issued inflammatory written statements, and leaked info … to the Hollywood press and tabloid media,” Energetic and Reynolds’ attorneys stated Tuesday.

Want a break? Play the USA TODAY Every day Crossword Puzzle.

“These statements not solely proceed the marketing campaign of retaliation that was the topic of Ms. Energetic’s First Stop and Desist, however they comprise quite a few new false statements about Ms. Energetic and others.”

In response, Energetic and Reynolds’ attorneys are searching for an “acceptable protecting order” to curb Freedman’s non-litigation statements, in addition to a listening to to “tackle the suitable conduct of counsel transferring ahead.”

Blake Energetic and Ryan Reynolds’ attorneys: Media releases will ‘prejudice’ authorized battle

Among the many quite a few media releases made by Freedman, Energetic and Reynolds’ authorized group cite a video of behind-the-scenes footage from “It Ends with Us” launched on Tuesday.

The almost 10-minute clip exhibits the actors’ characters, Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni) and Lily Bloom (Energetic), gradual dancing throughout a scene referenced in Energetic’s December grievance towards Baldoni, which preceded the actress’s federal lawsuit.

As additional proof of an alleged harassment marketing campaign, the couple’s attorneys additionally referenced Freedman’s earlier announcement to launch a web site regarding Baldoni’s federal lawsuit towards Energetic and Reynolds. The web site will reportedly comprise “all correspondences in addition to related movies that quash (Energetic’s) claims.”

“As Ms. Energetic’s counsel have tried, repeatedly, to warning Mr. Freedman, federal litigation have to be carried out in courtroom and in line with the related guidelines {of professional} conduct,” Energetic and Reynolds’ attorneys stated.

“His conduct threatens to, and can, materially prejudice each the Energetic Case and the Wayfarer Case by tainting the jury pool, as a result of his statements are intentionally geared toward undermining the ‘character, credibility, (and) fame’ of quite a few related events and likewise consists of ‘info the lawyer is aware of or fairly ought to know is prone to be inadmissible as proof in a trial,’ thereby creating a considerable threat of prejudice not only for Ms. Energetic, however for quite a few different events within the issues.”

USA TODAY has reached out to Freedman for remark.

Justin Baldoni and Blake Energetic’s authorized drama, defined

The previous co-stars each filed lawsuits on New 12 months’s Eve rehashing their allegations of working collectively: Energetic’s federal swimsuit mirrors a grievance filed in California and chronicled in a viral New York Instances report, titled “‘We Can Bury Anybody’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.” 

The “Gossip Woman” alum alleges Baldoni engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct out and in of the office and orchestrated a smear marketing campaign towards her for addressing his purported conduct.

In the meantime, Baldoni’s $250 million swimsuit challenged The New York Instances’ reporting on Energetic’s allegations, claiming the publication relied on “‘cherry-picked’ and altered communications stripped of vital context and intentionally spliced to mislead.”

Baldoni additionally filed a $400 million federal lawsuit towards Energetic and Reynolds on Jan. 16, accusing the couple of defamation and extortion.

Contributing: Jay Stahl, USA TODAY