CNN
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Blake Lively’s lawyers accuse Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, of publicly making “misleading and selective” statements about Lively and her ongoing legal dispute with Baldoni, and are asking a court for a hearing “to determine the appropriate conduct of the lawyer in the future. »
Lively’s legal team filed a letter in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday, the same day that Freedman released video footage from the filming of “It Ends With Us,” the film at the center of the ongoing legal battle. saying the footage ‘refutes’ Lively’s characterization of Baldoni’s behavior. Freedman also said Tuesday that they plan to create a website with more correspondence and video footage that they believe would discredit Lively’s claims.
In the letter, filed after the video footage was released Tuesday and obtained by CNN, Lively’s lawyers say they have already sent two cease-and-desist letters since she filed her initial complaint with the Department of Justice. California civil rights on December 21. One of these letters was sent to “The Wayfarer Parties”, which includes members of Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, as well as members of Baldoni’s publicity team.
The second demand letter was sent “directly to Mr. Freedman,” asking him to stop “making further defamatory and retaliatory statements regarding Ms. Lively” and asserting that his public statements “are not protected by qualified privilege.” to litigation.” ” In this letter to Freedman, Lively’s legal team sought to reiterate that “lawyers are not publicity agents” and that lawyers are “required to follow a different set of professional standards than publicists and crisis managers”.
“Since the Wayfarer Parties and Mr. Freedman received the cease and desist letters, they have continued their media campaign of harassment and retaliation, with almost daily media statements or other releases to the press,” reads -on in part of the letter that Lively’s legal team filed with the court on Tuesday.
Lively’s lawyers argue that Freedman’s conduct “threatens and will cause material harm” to both Lively’s sexual harassment case and Baldoni’s defamation case “by tainting the jury pool.” ”, and ask the court to schedule a hearing “to consider the appropriate conduct of counsel.” move forward in these two related areas.
They intend to seek a “protective order to govern further proceedings in this matter,” but say a hearing is necessary “given the imminent harm caused by Mr. Freedman’s misleading and selective statements and leaks “, according to the letter.
CNN has reached out to reps for Freedman and Lively, respectively, for comment.
Baldoni and Lively have been engaged in a legal battle that began in December when Lively filed her first complaint which preceded her civil trial for sexual harassment.
In her complaint, Lively said that during the filming of “It Ends With Us,” a meeting was held with Baldoni, Lively and various production executives to address “a hostile work environment that nearly derailed production.” . After raising concerns about “repeated sexual harassment and other concerning behavior by Mr. Baldoni,” according to his complaint, Baldoni’s public relations representatives orchestrated a campaign of “social manipulation” intended to damage his reputation in the media in retaliation.
Baldoni has denied Lively’s allegations. He filed a $250 million defamation suit against the New York Times in December, where he claimed the newspaper — which was the first to report Lively’s CRD complaint — published an accompanying article that was “riddled with inaccuracies, misrepresentations and omissions” that relied on Lively’s “self-assessment.” -serving the story.
The New York Times told CNN in a statement at the time that it stood by its reporting, saying, in part, that their story “was reported meticulously and responsibly.”
Baldoni also filed a $400 million defamation suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane earlier this month.
At the time, Lively’s lawyer told CNN in a statement that Baldoni’s prosecution “is another chapter in the abusers’ playbook.” It’s an old story: a woman comes forward with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the attacker attempts to turn the tables on the victim.