A federal judge has warned lawyers for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni to stop making public statements that could contaminate the potential jury pool in their high-profile sexual harassment case. The warning comes after both sides repeatedly made fiery comments, with Lively’s lawyer accusing Baldoni’s attorney of making inflammatory statements about her.
The case centers around allegations of sexual harassment on the set of the movie “It Ends With Us,” which was released in August to critical acclaim. Lively sued Baldoni and his production company last month for sexual harassment and damages, while Baldoni countersued, alleging defamation and extortion against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds.
Judge Lewis J. Liman suggested that if lawyers continue to make public comments that could influence the jury, he may expedite the trial. Both sides have been exchanging heated statements in recent weeks, with each accusing the other of playing dirty.
Lively’s lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, claimed that Baldoni’s attorney made damaging comments about his client, while Bryan Freedman representing Baldoni and his production company said Lively’s actions had led to financial losses worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/justin-baldoni-blake-lively-aa1859d3065044f735a6fb63c0389796