The legal fight between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has reached a new level. Recently, Lively’s lawyers filed a letter in federal court. They accused Baldoni’s legal team of using the case as a “public relations” stunt.

Lawyers Object to Public Filing

According to Lively’s team, Baldoni’s lawyers uploaded a 292-page draft transcript of her deposition. They did this on the same day they received it. Moreover, the document was still incomplete. It had not been “reviewed, corrected or finalised.”

As a result, Lively’s team argued there was no “conceivable legal purpose” for making it public. Instead, they claimed Baldoni’s lawyers leaked the draft to the media on purpose. Their goal, they said, was to damage Lively’s image.

Furthermore, her lawyers said, “The tactic perfectly demonstrates the counsel-as-PR agent role…” They strongly condemned the action. They also called the leaked document “fodder for the Wayfarer Defendants’ media campaign.” Therefore, they asked the judge to seal the transcript right away.

Reports Sparked Immediate Backlash

Meanwhile, People magazine reported that Lively’s reaction fits with Baldoni’s strategy. Now that she wants the transcript removed, his team might argue she’s trying to hide important information.

The deposition happened on July 31 at her lawyer’s office in Manhattan. Baldoni attended the session in person. Although the meeting was supposed to stay private, several media outlets published details quickly. In fact, some reports even mentioned what Lively wore during the deposition.

Allegations Behind the Legal War

Earlier, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment while filming It Ends With Us. She claimed he kissed her for too long during a scene. Later, she learned that Baldoni had also fat-shamed her, according to TMZ.

In response, Baldoni denied all the accusations. He called them false sexual harassment complaints. As a result, in January, he filed a $400 million lawsuit. He accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist of defamation and invasion of privacy.