Ahead of her May 18 trial against Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively has filed a motion requesting that the jury be barred from hearing any details about her financial status or that of her husband, Ryan Reynolds. The move comes amid concerns that her wealth could unfairly influence how jurors perceive her claims of financial loss. Moreover, Lively is reportedly planning to show the jury a video of Justin Baldoni, questioning if he “harassed” Britney Spears as evidence of his behaviour with women.
Blake Lively plans to use Justin Baldoni`s interview about Britney Spears
The actress plans to use a 2017 clip of Baldoni recalling his awkward interaction with Britney Spears when the singer guest-starred in an episode of his show Jane the Virgin, the Daily Mail reported.
In an old interview with Fuse, Baldoni admitted that he was a huge fan of the pop star in high school, and he couldn`t wait to see her even though they didn`t have any scenes together.
“I had gone up to her and in my mind, we’re friends,” he said laughingly, noting that they had tweeted at each other earlier, but “We weren’t.”
Recalling the awkward interaction, he said, “And I went up and I gave her … I went, ‘Hey!,’ and I gave her a big hug and I think I scared her, because she was like, ‘Hi,’ and I just had this awkward moment of, like, ‘Did I just harass Britney Spears?`”
Now, Lively will be using the anecdote to prove her claims of harassment against Baldoni.
Blake Lively plans to hide her wealth
As per the legal documents referenced by TMZ, Lively has asked the court to exclude any mention of her and Ryan Reynolds’ net worth during the proceedings.
Since the couple is reportedly worth around 380 million dollars, Lively’s legal team is afraid that bringing this information to light could bias the jury. They fear the jurors may dismiss her claims or view her grievances as insignificant due to her financial standing.
Lively had previously alleged that she suffered losses amounting to USD 161 due to the smear campaign, making her current move to hide her wealth more significant. The situation is also complicated by the fact that a judge has already dismissed her defamation claim, raising questions about the relevance of that financial figure in the trial.
Blake Lively wants to block references to Ryan Reynolds` character
Apart from the financial matters, Blake Lively has also moved to block any references to the character played by Ryan Reynolds in the films Deadpool & Wolverine. The character, named Nicepool, allegedly mocks Baldoni. Baldoni’s legal team had reportedly intended to use this portrayal to argue that Lively and Reynolds engaged in bullying behaviour, reported Times Now. However, a judge has already ruled that this line of evidence is irrelevant and cannot be introduced in court.
