Blake Lively’s legal team has slammed Justin Baldoni’s attorneys over their “disruptive” behavior during depositions, including asking invasive questions about the actress’s sexual history, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On Friday, December 19, Lively’s team filed a motion for sanctions against Baldoni’s attorneys accusing them of laughing, speechifying, and displaying a “basic lack of decorum” during testimony.
Lively’s lawyers further claimed Baldoni’s counsel asked inappropriate questions about her sexual history which were unrelated to the harassment and retaliation lawsuit.
Lively’s Team Slams Baldoni’s Attorneys
Lively and Baldoni’s return to court is slated for a January 22 hearing, with a May 18 trial date looming.
“Throughout discovery, multiple defense counsel insisted on making speaking objections, often in depositions they were not defending, and consuming time on the record to demean and orate,” Lively’s attorney Michael J. Gottlieb wrote to Judge Lewis J. Liman.
Lively’s team noted they previously addressed the inappropriate question issue with Baldoni’s counsel in September.
“Ms. Lively’s sexual and/or romantic history has no bearing on the matters at issue in this case and we will not tolerate such examination,” the Gossip Girl alum’s attorneys wrote to Baldoni’s team at the time.
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The actress’ legal team also reportedly invoked the “rape shield law,” which protects victims of sexual assault and abuse from answering questions about their sexual history in court.
Tensions hit a fever pitch on Monday, December 15, when Lively’s lawyers claimed Bryan Freedman and his co-counsel Kevin Fritz “impeded, delayed, and frustrated the fair examination” of defense expert Nicole Alexander.
Lively’s attorneys accused Freedman and Fritz of an “ongoing pattern of deposition misconduct,” including taking up lengthy amount of time with rambling objectifications during questioning.
The actress’s legal team have asked the court to compel the expert witness to sit for another deposition and are also requesting fees for the additional deposition to be covered.
Lively had been given ’95 per cent of the what she wants’ claims Baldoni, who just wanted ‘peace.’
This isn’t the first time the actress’s legal team has filed a motion for sanctions against Baldoni’s lawyers.
Freedman has been accused of trying the case in the media in one previously filed motion for sanctions, and another claimed Baldoni’s team withheld evidence during the discovery process.
He previously said he “would take Ms. Lively’s deposition at Madison Square Garden, charge tickets for admission to attend, and livestream the testimony for the world to watch.”
Lively’s counsel reportedly branded Freedman’s remark a “ghoulish taunt,” while noting, “federal courts are venues for the adjudication of justice, not playgrounds for retribution or public relations.”
Baldoni and Lively have been locked in a legal battle for over a year.
The latest motion for sanctions against Baldoni’s team comes as both sides prepare for their upcoming court-mandated settlement conference in February.
While Lively and Baldoni’s trial was set to kick off in March, the date has been pushed earlier this month to May 18.
Meanwhile, Baldoni’s team has filed a motion requesting a summary judgement – and claimed Lively’s allegations against the actor-director were merely a “litany of minor grievances.”
Lively’s team pushed back and accused Baldoni, 41, of attempting to avoid accountability for his alleged actions.
Judge Liman is set to hear an argument on Baldoni’s summary judgement request as well as Lively’s sanctions motions on January 22.
