Blake Lively Gains Control Of Deposition After Judge Sides With Her In Legal Feud

Blake Lively has been granted a protective order ahead of her upcoming deposition in the ongoing legal showdown with her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

The court's decision comes after Lively requested the protective order, citing concerns over privacy and control regarding the setting and attendees of the July 17 deposition.

Blake Lively's legal team emphasized the importance of safeguarding the process amid heightened media attention and a history of what they describe as Justin Baldoni's efforts to sensationalize the case.

According to court documents obtained by PEOPLE, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman approved the order on Monday, July 14, allowing the 37-year-old actress to control the conditions of her testimony. Per the ruling, Baldoni's legal team must conduct the deposition at a location chosen by Lively, with access to a computer, printing, and copying equipment.

Additionally, Baldoni's team must notify Lively of everyone attending the deposition by noon on July 15.

Baldoni's lawyers strongly opposed the request, accusing Lively of using her "celebrity status" to dictate the terms.

In a letter submitted on July 13, Baldoni's team argued, "Lively is a plaintiff who has hurled serious allegations of misconduct against the Wayfarer Parties. Like all defendants, the Wayfarer Parties are entitled to depose Lively... They are also entitled to choose the location of the deposition, which they did."

The bitter legal battle began after Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation during the production of "It Ends With Us."

Baldoni has vehemently denied the claims and previously filed counterclaims against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion, claims that Judge Liman has since dismissed.

Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's high-profile attorney, has made repeated public comments about his strategy, including a now-viral interview on TMZ Live in which he said, "I'm gonna ask her questions under penalty of perjury... We have all of the videotapes, all the footage. We have the text messages and we have emails. We're gonna see how consistent her testimony is with the actual facts of what transpired."

Freedman also made headlines earlier this year when he sarcastically proposed hosting Lively's deposition at Madison Square Garden, selling tickets or live-streaming the event to raise money for victims of domestic abuse.

In response, Lively's team issued a statement on July 11 condemning the attempt to turn a serious legal matter into "a public spectacle."

"Justin Baldoni's lawyer has tried to make this matter a public spectacle at every turn, even proposing to sell tickets to a televised deposition at Madison Square Garden," her rep said. "This is a serious matter of sexual harassment and retaliation, and it deserves to be treated as such."

This all comes after Justin Baldoni secured a minor legal victory in his ongoing legal battle.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that Baldoni and his legal team may review select private text messages exchanged between Lively and her close friend Taylor Swift, marking a new development in the closely watched case.

The ruling allows Baldoni limited access to the private conversations to determine whether any discussions between Lively and Swift pertain directly to the actress's allegations of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation. The court emphasized that only messages relevant to the case can be examined, and Judge Liman cautioned that the review must remain narrowly focused.

While Lively's legal team fought to exclude Swift from the discovery process entirely, their motion was denied, opening the door for Baldoni's team to potentially glean insight into Lively's claims from her private exchanges with the pop star.

While Justin Baldoni had a small victory, he also suffered a major legal setback when U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed his massive $400 million defamation countersuit against Lively, Reynolds, and The New York Times. The lawsuit, filed just weeks after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, alleged the trio had orchestrated a smear campaign to damage his reputation.

The dismissal marked a turning point in the escalating legal battle, and Lively broke her silence shortly after the ruling with an emotional statement shared on her Instagram Stories.

"Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us," she wrote on June 9. "While the suit against me was defeated, so many don't have the resources to fight back."

Both Lively and Baldoni are expected to testify when the case goes to trial in March 2026 in New York.