A federal judge offered Blake Lively better protection for sensitive details at the pretrial stage of her legal case with Justin Baldoni. The protective measures introduce new safeguards which work toward stopping personal and official data from getting exposed and combat potential unauthorized use of those records.
The legal dispute started during December 2024 when Lively notified authorities that her "It Ends With Us" director Baldoni had mistreated her professionally at work. During production of the film she denounced Baldoni for his improper verbal remarks and uninvited physical interactions. Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively for defamation and extortion which demanded $400 million after he denied the harassment claims.
Legal representatives for Lively warned the court about releasing private material that included information involving her spouse Ryan Reynolds and good friend Taylor Swift as well as other personal communications. The adoption of a modified protective order came from Judge Lewis J. Liman in response to these concerns. The protective order provides specific sensitive materials the status "Attorneys' Eyes Only" which grants access only to lawyers. The protected information encompasses non-public photographs, videos, audio recordings, and medical records. Judges state that extra protections under these situations should be used only when revealing information could result in important privacy losses up to the level of exposing trade secrets.
Lively's defense team approved this judicial order because it sustains the discovery procedure while preserving privacy rights for all participating parties. The judicial decision emphasized both the necessity of preventing witness harassment and maintaining sensitive evidence from turning into public scrutiny or media monopolization.
The protective order requirement received support from Bryan Freedman but the attorney expressed his opposition to extensive limitations in cases. His legal team affirmatively stated that they did not acquire deeply personal information from the couple and backed the governing court's approach to protect limited categories including mental health documentation and privacy safeguards.
Apart from the main celebrities involved the legal fight has now included multiple celebrity participants. Public reports indicate that Hugh Jackman stands as a potential witness for the trial because he often socialized with both Lively and Reynolds when their alleged arguments occurred. The dispute has reportedly led Taylor Swift to attempt separating herself from it while she feels uneasy about the unintended connections to the legal battle.
Throughout the legal proceedings both fairness in public revelation and individual privacy remain essential challenges for courts that handle disputes with public personalities. The modified protective order enables legal proceedings to continue while safeguarding personal privacy of all parties involved but maintains essential legal obligations of fairness and responsibility.