Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are seeking additional protection from their lawyer, Meryl Governski, amid their high-profile court battle with It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni. During a virtual hearing on March 6, Governski requested an extra protective order to safeguard sensitive information shared with other “high-profile individuals” during the case.
Governski argued that discussing these conversations could lead to irreparable harm if they fell into the wrong hands. The attorney also sought to designate sensitive information as “attorney eyes only,” meaning it would be viewed only by their party’s lawyer and not themselves.
Lively’s representative echoed Governski’s concerns, stating that certain information shared with her client, including details about private residences and personal conversations, could harm her business if disclosed. The issue is being considered in the context of Lively’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Baldoni’s team, including publicist Leslie Sloane.
However, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman opposed the request, calling it “overboard” and unnecessary. He argued that there are no trade secrets at risk in the case and that PR agencies advertise who they represent, rendering confidential information less valuable.
A decision on the additional protective order was not made during the hearing, but U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman will review both parties’ arguments before making a decision at a later date.
Source: https://www.eonline.com/news/1414424/blake-lively-ryan-reynolds-seek-to-protect-text-messages-with-friends-amid-justin-baldoni-legal-battle