Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds seek gag order against Baldoni’s lawyer

The back and forth continues.

Hours after Justin Baldoni’s team leaked footage from the filming of It ends with usBlake Lively’s lawyers have asked the court overseeing her civil rights trial to impose a gag order against Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman. They accused him of effectively continuing the alleged smear campaign against Lively by repeatedly speaking to the press, leaking information to gain public favor for his clients, and making false statements.

In an atypical move for his litigation strategy, Freedman himself has not commented, but sources close to Baldoni say it is “particularly unfair to impose silence after Justin was defamed by The New York Times in a story they say cost him three jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars.

“All Justin wants to do,” the source says, “is release videos and text messages to prove the allegations are false.” The source adds that it’s “unbelievable that Blake Lively would go on a takedown campaign against Justin, then immediately turn around and say she wants a gag order so Justin can’t defend himself.”

Earlier this month, Lively filed a lawsuit in New York federal court, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment during the filming of It ends with usand he and his associates of orchestrating a smear campaign after the film’s release. Baldoni, who directed and starred in the film alongside Lively, filed his own lawsuit last week against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, seeking at least $400 million in damages. He is represented by no-holds-barred attorney Freedman, who is not shy about talking to the press (at one point he warned that he would sue anyone linked to certain “abhorrent” behavior and bring them down) into oblivion”).

The letter referenced a ceasefire Lively sent to Freedman last month. He claimed Freedman defamed and unlawfully retaliated against the actress, pointing to his statements to the press following Lively’s filing with the California Department of Civil Rights while disclosing a copy of the document.

“Lawyers are not publicity agents,” the letter states. “We are required to follow a different set of professional standards than publicists and crisis managers. One of these standards is the prohibition on knowingly making factual misrepresentations, even if doing so would help defend or promote the interests of our clients.

Among the allegedly false statements mentioned in the ban, Freedman claims that “no proactive action has been taken with the media or otherwise,” that “Wayfarer Studios representatives have yet to do anything proactive or retaliate and only responded to incoming media. investigations to ensure balanced and factual reporting and monitored social activity.

The request for silence was filed on Tuesday, the same day Baldoni’s team provided media with images beginning with Daily Mailwhich he says disproves one of Lively’s claims. He has publicly stated several times that he and his team have nothing to hide and that the footage supports his position. Baldoni’s team is also preparing to compile a website containing all of the correspondence, as well as relevant videos that they believe would refute Lively’s claims.

Gottlieb said the leak of these images, among other actions taken as part of his media blitz, violates various rules regarding the professional conduct of lawyers. An example: Lawyers are prohibited from making extrajudicial statements that could impact legal proceedings.

“His conduct threatens and will materially harm both the Lively case and the Wayfarer case by tainting the jury,” the letter said, referring to his “litigation strategy via press statements.” One issue involves sharing evidence with the press that might be inadmissible in court.

Lively’s legal team urged the court to schedule a hearing to consider a gag order against Freedman. She is represented by Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher, as is Reynolds.

This isn’t the first time Freedman’s statements to the press have landed him in potential trouble. Last year, MediaLink founder Michael Kassan sued him for defamation for allegedly trying to tarnish his reputation under UTA’s leadership in an effort to prevent employees and customers from following him into his next business. The allegedly defamatory statements involved Freedman calling Kassan a “pathological liar.” The lawsuit was later dismissed.