Blake Lively Requests Protective Order To Keep Texts With Celebrity Friends Private in Fear Justin Baldoni Will 'Leak' Them
Actress Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds are seeking a stronger protective order to shield their private text messages with celebrity friends from potential leaks. The move comes amid the actress's ongoing legal battle with "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni.
The request was filed by Lively's attorney, Meryl Conant Governski. During a virtual court hearing to request the protective order, the actress's legal team said they are hoping to keep the texts private amid her legal drama with Justin Baldoni, who they fear will "leak" her messages with other celebrities to the press. Lively's team also pointed out that Baldoni's co-defendants in their lawsuit include people "whose entire living is based on providing information to the press."
"There is a significant chance of irreparable harm if marginal conversations with high profile individuals with no relevance to the case were to fall into wrong hands," Governski claimed, per Page Six.
In response to the request, Baldoni's lawyer, Briad Freedman, argued that keeping messages with celebrity friends private would mean treating the stars and "people who are powerful in the industry" differently from others. He also argued that they have already gone to great lengths to avoid naming any third parties in the lawsuit.
Judge Lewis Liman, who oversaw the virtual court hearing, has yet to rule on the protective order request.
The dispute stems from Lively's December 2024 lawsuit against Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of their film "It Ends with Us." Baldoni has denied these allegations and filed a $400 million countersuit for defamation and extortion against Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist.
While no specific celebrities were named in the court documents, previous filings have hinted at the involvement of Taylor Swift, who is referred to as a "megacelebrity friend." Swift's involvement in the case stems from Baldoni's allegations that Lively used her friendship with the pop star to influence casting and creative decisions during the production of It Ends With Us.
