LOS ANGELES: Actor Justin Baldoni has opposed Blake Lively’s request for a protective order ahead of her upcoming deposition, accusing the actress of attempting to control legal proceedings using her celebrity status, PEOPLE magazine and TMZ reported.
Lively, 37, is seeking to give her testimony in a private setting as part of an ongoing legal dispute involving allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation.
Her legal team filed a request on Friday, 11 July 2025, asking US District Judge Lewis J. Liman to issue a protective order that would allow the deposition to take place at a confidential location on Thursday, 17 July.
They also requested that all attendees be identified in advance.
According to PEOPLE, Baldoni’s legal team responded on Sunday, 13 July, stating in a letter to the judge that they had not agreed to Lively’s conditions and argued that the Gossip Girl star was attempting to dictate the terms of the deposition.
“Lively is a plaintiff who has hurled serious allegations of misconduct against the Wayfarer Parties,” the letter read.
“Like all defendants, the Wayfarer Parties are entitled to depose Lively to develop evidence crucial to their defence. They are also entitled to choose the location of the deposition, which they did.”
Lively’s attorneys pushed back, alleging that Baldoni’s team was trying to stage a “harassing publicity stunt” by refusing to disclose the location or attendees, potentially exposing her to paparazzi or even members of the media during the deposition.
“Since virtually the inception of this litigation, Defendants have used even the prospect of Ms. Lively’s deposition to generate press interest,” her legal team stated, according to documents seen by PEOPLE.
They cited previous comments made by Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, who in May suggested holding the deposition at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
“Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organisations helping victims of domestic abuse,” Freedman had said.
Lively’s representative told TMZ that she is “looking forward to her deposition next week, and it should follow the same rules as every other witness in this case.”
The representative added, “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. This is a serious matter of sexual harassment and retaliation and it deserves to be treated as such.”
The deposition is scheduled to take place on Thursday in New York City. The trial between Lively and Baldoni is set to begin in March 2026.
