Blake Lively accuses Justin Baldoni's legal team of turning lawsuit into ‘media circus’

Blake Lively has asked a judge for privacy ahead of her upcoming deposition in her ongoing legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, whom she is suing for sexual harassment and retaliation.

In a motion filed this week, Lively, 37, requested that her deposition be held on July 17 at a private, undisclosed location. Her legal team is seeking a protective order to prevent what they say is a deliberate attempt by Baldoni’s team to turn the proceeding into a media circus.

The request comes in response to remarks made earlier by Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman, who suggested in May that the deposition could be held at Madison Square Garden, with tickets sold or streamed to raise money for domestic abuse victims.

“Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has tried to make this matter a public spectacle at every turn,” Lively’s representatives told People. “This is a serious matter of sexual harassment and retaliation, and it deserves to be treated as such.”

Lively’s court filing alleges that Baldoni’s team is attempting to stage a “harassing publicity stunt” by creating conditions where paparazzi, media, or influencers could be present. Her lawyers argued the high-profile nature of the case poses a risk of “annoyance, harassment, and verbal or physical threats.”

The legal clash follows Baldoni’s failed attempt to countersue Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for extortion and defamation, claims that were dismissed last month.

The trial is currently scheduled to begin in March 2026.