Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds Make Shocking Plea To Justin Baldoni's Lawyer

The pair claim that the release of the explosive material violates court rules and is part of a campaign of revenge against Baldoni's team.

Blake Lively has since broken her silence about the footage, with her lawyers saying it shows Justin Baldoni sexually assaulting her and touching her inappropriately.

Lively and her husband Reynolds have launched legal action following the release of the controversial video by Justin Baldoni's legal team.

Video shared Daily mailincludes several dance scenes between Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 40, on the set of It Ends With Us.

Although the footage appears to show the actors acting out a scene, Lively claims it highlights her discomfort during filming.

In response to the release of the video, Lively and Reynolds, 49, have filed a request for a protective order, alleging that Baldoni's legal team, led by Brian Friedman, is engaging in “inappropriate behavior” and a “retaliation campaign against the media.”

According to TMZThe couple claims Friedman's actions, including publicly sharing the footage, violate court rules “that prevent an attorney from making statements to the press that are irrelevant to the case and could prejudice the jury.”

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday, they accused Friedman of orchestrating a media campaign to harass and discredit them, citing the release of unedited footage as a prime example.

However, sources close to Baldoni have expressed displeasure with Lively's request for the order, telling Daily mail that it was “distinctly unfair” given the consequences he had caused.

According to sources, Baldoni has lost three job opportunities and hundreds of millions of dollars after what they describe as defamatory claims he published The New York Times.

“All Justin wants to do is post videos and text messages to prove the claims are false,” sources said.

They added: “It's unbelievable that Blake Lively would start a takedown campaign against Justin and then immediately turn around and say she wishes Justin couldn't defend himself.”

Meanwhile, Lively has reacted to the unedited footage. Her legal team released a statement to the publication, calling the release of the video a “stunt” designed to obscure evidence incriminating Baldoni.

They claim that “the video itself is damning” as it shows Baldoni “repeatedly leaning over Ms Lively, trying to kiss her, kissing her forehead, rubbing his face and mouth against her neck, thumbing her lip, caressing her telling her how good she smells, and talking to her is out of character.

Lively's team added that “every single frame of the released material corroborates verbatim what Ms. Lively described in paragraph 48 of her complaint.”

Lively's lawyer stressed that none of the intimate moments captured in the released footage, filmed under Baldoni's direction, were choreographed or pre-approved.

“Every moment Mr. Baldoni improvised without prior discussion or consent and without the presence of an intimacy coordinator,” explained the lawyer. “In addition to being Ms. Lively's co-star, Mr. Baldoni was Ms. Lively's director, studio head, and boss.”

Her legal team also argued that Lively's visible discomfort in the scene was not acting, pointing to moments where she leaned away from Baldoni and “repeatedly asked the characters to just talk.”

“Any woman who has been touched inappropriately in the workplace will recognize Ms. Lively's discomfort,” the statement said. “They will recognize her frivolous attempts to prevent unwanted touching. No woman should have to take protective measures to avoid being touched by an employer without her consent.

The team accused Baldoni of using the release of the video as “another example of an unethical attempt to manipulate the public”, calling it “a continuation of their campaign of harassment and revenge”.

“We continue our efforts to hold Mr. Baldoni and his associates to account in court, under oath, and not through contrived media stunts,” Lively's attorney concluded.

In her civil rights complaint filed last month, Lively claimed no one heard the alleged comment, which made her uncomfortable, because the romantic montage was silent and the microphones were turned off.

However, as The Blast reports, news outlets obtained video footage that reveals Baldoni's sound equipment was active during the shoot. Clips that capture all three frames give a different picture to the dynamics of the shoot.

In the video, Lively and Baldoni are slow dancing in a friendly and light-hearted manner.

They are seen joking about what to do at the moment while discussing how they spend time with their spouses.

The unedited footage includes the full context of the commentary in about seven minutes. While filming a dance scene, Lively reveals her spray tan and Baldoni playfully reacts.

He jokes about possibly putting a beard on her, to which Lively replies that she might leave him with a spray tan.

Baldoni then remarks, “It smells good,” causing the two to laugh, before Lively explains that the smell is actually from her body makeup.

Although the scene shows Baldoni nuzzling Lively's neck as a romantic partner, their interactions behind the scenes are professional. Most of their conversations focus on lighting settings and their personal lives.

The raw footage, along with audio, was shared by Baldoni's production company, Wayfarer, and his attorney, Brian Friedman. Friedman reiterated that Baldoni “has nothing to hide.”