Blake Lively Claps Back at Justin Baldoni’s Claims Amid Harassment Legal Battle

Blake Lively is not holding back as she responds to Justin Baldoni’s accusations regarding her handling of their heated legal dispute. Tensions flared when Lively sought to tighten the reins on public access to evidence in her sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni, claiming he created a “hostile work environment” during their filming of *It Ends With Us*. Baldoni’s legal team shot a fiery response, suggesting that Lively’s media portrayal contradicted her request for privacy. Talk about digging a hole!

In a letter to Judge Lewis Liman, Baldoni’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster, pointed out the irony of Lively’s protective order request, given her previous public statements about her alleged harassment. Schuster asserted that she seemed more concerned about shielding evidence than genuinely protecting her privacy rights. “We are surprised to now learn how vehemently she wants to prevent the public from accessing material and relevant evidence,” he wrote. Oof!

But Lively wasn’t going to let that slide. Her attorney, Michael Gottlieb, fired back with a four-page critique, emphasizing the need for standard protective orders in civil cases and highlighting the “callous disregard” Baldoni’s team demonstrated towards “a woman advocating for the most basic workplace protections against sexual harassment.” The drama thickened as Gottlieb also called attention to the misinformation propagated by certain online commentators, asserting this further justified Lively’s need for legal protection.

The stakes have certainly risen, especially since Baldoni has initiated his lawsuits against *The New York Times*— which initially reported Lively’s allegations— along with Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, who, by the way, recently made headlines himself for some cheeky SNL skits. The tangled web of accusations and counters could easily become a sensational saga, one where the public is left wondering who’s truth-telling and who’s merely playing the media game.

With the initial hearing held earlier this month, and a trial date looming, it’s clear that this viral spectacle is only just getting interesting. Both parties are gearing up for a legal showdown that could involve meticulous discussions on workplace respect and harassment—real talk, significant matters that many in Hollywood and beyond are confronting today.

Sources: Celebrity Storm Wire and Deadline, People Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter