Judge Seals Blake Lively Deposition, Cites Baldoni Lawyers’ Media Use

A federal judge in Manhattan has ruled in favor of Blake Lively by striking the nearly 300-page transcript of her deposition from the court docket in her sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Justin Baldoni. The judge criticized Baldoni’s legal team for filing the entire deposition transcript, despite only citing two pages, stating this appeared intended to burden Lively and invite public speculation and scandal. Lively’s lawyers accused Baldoni’s team of using the deposition filing as part of a media campaign, while Baldoni’s lawyers defended the inclusion, arguing the deposition transcript records Lively's own words. Additionally, the court blocked most of Lively’s attempts to subpoena communications from Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, protecting them under attorney-client privilege despite Lively’s claims of a coordinated smear campaign involving media figures. The judge acknowledged limited discovery could proceed only after Freedman’s firm confirmed no relevant records exist. The legal battle continues as Lively awaits further depositions of Baldoni and co-defendants.