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Judge Grants Blake Lively Control Over Deposition Venue

The ruling shields Lively from media exposure with strict protocols on venue, attendees and document handling ahead of her deposition.

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(L) Justin Baldoni attends The CW Network's 2016 Upfront at The London Hotel on May 19, 2016 in New York City. (R) Blake Lively attends the "It Ends With Us" UK Gala Screening at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on August 8, 2024 in London, England.
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Overview

  • On July 14, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted Lively’s motion for a protective order, allowing her to choose the location of her July 17 deposition.
  • The order obliges Justin Baldoni’s team to notify Lively’s side of every attendee by midday July 15 and to provide dedicated computer access plus printing and copying facilities.
  • Baldoni’s lawyers had opposed the motion, arguing that Lively was using her celebrity status to dictate the terms of her testimony.
  • Lively’s attorneys cited fears of paparazzi ambush and public spectacle, pointing to her counsel’s claim that Baldoni’s team once suggested streaming the deposition from Madison Square Garden.
  • The deposition is part of pretrial discovery in Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni, with a full federal trial set for March 2026 in New York City.