Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds clap back at Justin Baldoni; request 'ethical rules' to ensure Court proceedings are not prejudiced

The legal battle between Hollywood couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and 'It Ends With Us' director Justin Baldoni is getting messier.
Following the director's legal team's decision to release unedited footage from the film to contradict Blake's claims in her lawsuit, Lively and Reynolds’ attorney, Esra Hudson, submitted a letter to Judge Lewis J. Liman requesting stricter measures to prevent potentially prejudicial public statements in the ongoing case.
The couple is currently facing backlash for allegedly trying to impose a 'gag order' on Baldoni's team, to refrain them from making public comments that could influence a potential jury. In response to the so-called gag-order, Baldoni’s legal team argued that such statements are permissible under an exception to the rule, allowing lawyers to defend clients against negative publicity they did not provoke.

Hudson, representing the Lively-Reynolds team, has now countered the claim in the latest filing, stating that enforcing ethical boundaries for lawyers is essential to ensuring a fair trial. “Requiring counsel to heed the ethical rules that bind them is not a gag order; it is a mechanism that would ensure the proceedings in this Court are not prejudiced by counsel’s conduct outside of the courtroom,” Hudson argued in the letter, according to Deadline.
The letter also accused Baldoni’s team of orchestrating a campaign to discredit Lively and Reynolds, alleging behind-the-scenes efforts to damage their reputations. “The Wayfarer Parties are attempting to draw a dangerous false equivalence that may have profound consequences not just for this case, but for other women who are sexually harassed in the workplace given the high profile of this matter,” Hudson stated, as reportedly by JustJared.

The document further alleged that a smear campaign against Lively and Reynolds, previously referenced in their lawsuit, continues to this day. The allegations included claims of an “untraceable” social media manipulation effort aimed at skewing algorithms against Lively. “The Lively-Reynolds Parties are informed and believe that these efforts have continued unabated since the CRD Complaint was filed, and may have even been accelerated,” Hudson continued, warning that such tactics could undermine the administration of justice in the case.
The lawyer also stated that the current proceedings 'may have profound consequences' not just for the case, but also for other women and victims of sexual harassment at the workplace.
"The administration of justice in this case will be severely compromised if this behaviour continues," read the report.
Lively, accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and claimed that he orchestrated a smear campaign against her. Her lawsuit alleged that she endured "grief, fear, trauma, and extreme anxiety" due to Baldoni's "invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behaviour."
Baldoni's attorney, has dismissed Lively's accusations, calling them "false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt."