Blake Lively's Legal Storm: Deposition Showdown Looms Amid PR Warfare

Blake Lively BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.

In the past several days Blake Lively has been at the epicenter of a high-profile legal and media firestorm that is capturing headlines across Hollywood and beyond. The most significant development centers around her acrimonious lawsuit with It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Blake is suing Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation and in recent filings she has gone on the offensive, publicly accusing his legal team of deliberately transforming a grave legal dispute into what she calls a media circus. Her lawyers have filed motions to ensure her upcoming July 17 deposition is held at a confidential location—out of the public eye—to counter what they describe as aggressive efforts by Baldoni’s team to orchestrate a media spectacle. According to People magazine and multiple major outlets, Baldoni’s attorney even floated the idea of holding Blake’s deposition at Madison Square Garden with tickets sold for charity, a suggestion that Blake’s camp blasted as outrageous and unsafe, pointing to security concerns and the risk of harassment.

In response to the escalating drama, Blake has quietly hired Nick Shapiro, a former CIA deputy chief of staff, to help strategize her legal communications and manage crisis PR. This move signals how seriously she’s taking the public relations war unfolding around her, given that the case has now entangled not just the parties but also digital entrepreneurs and a web of influencers, with new lawsuits branching off in several directions. Variety reported how Lively’s legal opponents had launched and lost a battery of counterclaims, including a $400 million suit by Baldoni and a $250 million libel action against the New York Times, some targeting Blake’s husband Ryan Reynolds as well.

Complicating matters, Perez Hilton and the influencer world have erupted over reports that Blake’s legal team subpoenaed Google for identifying and financial information of sixteen micro-influencers said to be involved in spreading related content, a move some see as an effort to fend off harassment but which has also been described as heavy-handed and intimidating by critics. On social media, reactions are polarized, with Blake’s supporters decrying the spectacle and others questioning the tactics on both sides.

All of this comes as Blake also finds herself in the spotlight for business moves—she’s just relaunched her lifestyle e-commerce site Preserve, selling a curated selection of food, clothing, and home goods while supporting Covenant House with proceeds. Early responses are mixed, with some shoppers praising the site’s design and others grumbling about pricing and marketing.

For now, the march toward her July 17 deposition is the biggest story, with eyes locked on whether this celebrity legal saga will shift the conversation around privacy, power, and publicity in Hollywood. As Blake’s team pushes for the proceedings to be handled with the seriousness they say the subject demands, the broader cultural reverberations—and potential impact on her life and career—are only just beginning.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
In the past several days, Blake Lively has been at
the epicenter of a high profile legal and media firestorm
that is capturing headlines across Hollywood and beyond. The most
significant development centers around her acrimonious lawsuit with it Ends
with US co star and director Justin Baldoni. Lake is
suing Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation, and in recent filings,

(00:23):
she has gone on the offensive, publicly accusing his legal
team of deliberately transforming a grave legal dispute into what
she calls a media circus. Her lawyers have filed motions
to ensure her upcoming July seventeenth deposition is held at
a confidential location, out of the public eye, to counter
what they describe as aggressive efforts by Baldoni's team to

(00:47):
orchestrate a media spectacle. According to People Magazine and multiple
major outlets, Baldoni's attorney even floated the idea of holding
Blake's deposition at Madison Square Garden with tickets sold for charity,
a suggestion that Blake's camp blasted as outrageous and unsafe,
pointing to security concerns and the risk of harassment. In

(01:09):
response to the escalating drama, Blake has quietly hired Nick Shapiro,
a former CIA Deputy Chief of Staff, to help strategize
her legal communications and manage crisis pr. This move signals
how seriously she's taking the public relations war unfolding around her,
given that the case has now entangled not just the parties,

(01:29):
but also digital entrepreneurs and a web of influencers, with
new lawsuits branching off in several directions. Variety reported how
Lively's legal opponents had launched and lost a battery of counterclaims,
including a four hundred million dollar suit by Baldoni and
a two hundred and fifty million dollar libel action against
The New York Times, some targeting Blake's husband, Ryan Reynolds

(01:52):
as well. Complicating matters, Perez Hilton and the influencer world
have erupted over reports that Blake's legal team subpoenaed go
Google for identifying and financial information of sixteen micro influencers
said to be involved in spreading related content, a move
some see as an effort to fend off harassment, but
which has also been described as heavy handed and intimidating

(02:13):
by critics on social media. Reactions are polarized, with Blake's
supporters to crying the spectacle and others questioning the tactics
on both sides. All of this comes as Blake also
finds herself in the spotlight for business moves. She's just
relaunched her lifestyle e commerce site, Preserve, selling a curated
selection of food, clothing, and home goods while supporting Covenant

(02:36):
House with proceeds. Early responses are mixed, with some shoppers
praising the site's design and others grumbling about pricing and marketing.
For now, the march toward her July seventeenth deposition is
the biggest story, with eyes locked on whether this celebrity
legal saga will shift the conversation around privacy, power, and
publicity in Hollywood. As Blake's team pushes for the proceedings

(02:58):
to be handled with the seriousness. They say the subject demands.
The broader cultural reverberations and potential impact on her life
and career are only just beginning, and that is it
for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and
never miss an update on Blake Lively. Thanks for listening.
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(03:19):
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