Blake Lively earned a small victory in her ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit against ‘It Ends With Us’ director Justin Baldoni.
A federal judge on Thursday, granted the actress’ request to restrict the disclosure of ‘sensitive information’ in the ongoing battle. The ruling, by Judge Lewis Liman on Thursday, limits certain discovery materials to “attorneys’ eyes only” to prevent potential leaks or misuse.
The restricted information includes trade secrets such as business and marketing plans, details of upcoming creative projects, security measures, medical records, and “highly personal and intimate information about third parties.”
“These cases involve both business competitors and allegations of sexual harm,” the judge stated according to Variety. “Discovery will necessarily include confidential and sensitive business and personal information. The risk of disclosure is great.”
He did, however, narrow the scope of Lively’s request, rejecting a broad provision that would have restricted any material “likely” to cause harm. Instead, the court limited protections to information “highly likely” to cause “significant” injury.
He also warned that, even without media leaks, private details could spread through the entertainment industry, potentially harming the involved parties.
While Baldoni’s attorneys agreed on the need to protect sensitive information, they objected to the restriction preventing attorneys from sharing certain details with their clients. They argued that the extra secrecy could complicate the legal process and lead to repeated disputes over confidentiality designations.
Last Thursday, Meryl Governski, a lawyer for Lively asked a federal judge to impose strict rules to prevent anyone associated with Justin Baldoni getting personal or intimate information about her or other celebrities while it proceeds toward trial.
Lively sued Baldoni, his production company and others in New York in late December for sexual harassment and attacks on her reputation and sought unspecified damages. Baldoni later countersued, accusing Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion and seeking at least $400 million in damages.
Governski said some defendants in Lively’s lawsuit filed in late December against Baldoni, his production company and others seemed to be operating on an unlimited budget as they “try to ruin the lives of Ms. Lively and her family.”
At a prior hearing, the judge acknowledged that, if the case proceeds, it will inevitably involve the disclosure of sensitive and potentially damaging information about both parties.
