Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal dispute may soon spill into the public eye, with court documents potentially exposing key details. The Gossip Girl alum, 37, secured a modified protective order in her ongoing legal battle with Baldoni, but according to The Daily Mail, the court significantly narrowed the restrictions she initially sought.
While both Lively and Baldoni’s legal teams can designate certain sensitive documents as “Attorneys’ Eyes Only” (AEO), this does not guarantee confidentiality if the case proceeds to trial. In other words, unless Lively and Baldoni, 41, reach an out-of-court settlement, much of the information could become public record. As one source put it, “very few secrets” will remain hidden, and “everything will come out at trial anyway.”
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According to PEOPLE, Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that the AEO designation could only apply when disclosing the material was “highly likely to cause a significant business, commercial, financial or privacy injury.” Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, expressed satisfaction with the ruling, telling The Daily Mail, “We are fully in agreement with the Court’s decision to provide a narrow scope of protections to categories such as private mental health records and personal security measures that have never been of interest to us, as opposed to Ms. Lively’s exceedingly over-broad demand for documents for a 2.5-year period of time, which the court rightly quashed.”
He added, “We remain focused on the necessary communications that will directly contradict Ms. Lively’s unfounded accusations.” A spokesperson for Lively, however, framed the ruling differently, stating, “Today, the Court rejected the Wayfarer Parties’ objections and entered the protections needed to ensure the free flow of discovery material without any risk of witness intimidation or harm to any individual’s security.
With this order in place, Ms. Lively will move forward in the discovery process to obtain even more of the evidence that will prove her claims in Court.” Lively’s attorneys had previously voiced concerns that without stronger protections, Baldoni might leak sensitive information, including details about her security measures, medical history, and private conversations with her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their celebrity friends.
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Baldoni’s attorneys fired back, calling these concerns “offensive” and accusing Lively of seeking a “different law” to shield high-profile figures. The legal battle has already been fraught with tension, with Lively requesting additional protections just weeks ago after allegedly receiving “violent” messages.
While both sides had initially agreed to a protective order, Lively has since pushed for further safeguards beyond the court’s standard model. As the case unfolds, one thing is certain—this legal showdown is far from over. If it heads to trial, expect major revelations.
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