Judge orders producer to release home birth video from Lively-Baldoni lawsuit.
Blake Lively recently achieved a significant legal victory in her ongoing legal proceedings against Justin Baldoni, her director and co-star from the film “It Ends With Us.” A New York judge has mandated that producer Jamey Heath provide footage of his wife’s home birth, a video Lively claims she was exposed to during the film’s production without her consent. The ruling was made public earlier this week.
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman issued the order on Monday, specifying that Heath must submit the complete video by the forthcoming Thursday. According to court documents accessed by Media News Source, the judge noted that the full footage should have been provided during earlier discovery phases, which sought comprehensive evidence beyond the abbreviated video Heath claimed to have shown to Lively on set.
Judge Liman observed that the material in question could potentially bolster Lively’s allegations that she was subjected to discomforting content without prior warning. Despite the order to produce the video, the judge declined to impose sanctions on Heath for previously submitting an incomplete version. Liman’s decision underscores the complexities surrounding evidence disclosure in sensitive cases.
Lively has previously portrayed the viewing of the home birth video as confrontational, likening it to pornography, a characterization denied by Heath, who described the footage as a “beautiful” moment. When questioned about whether his wife consented to the sharing of the video, Heath allegedly indicated that his wife, Natasha, was comfortable with such matters.
The legal confrontation began just before Christmas 2024 when Lively filed a civil rights complaint alleging that Baldoni engaged in sexual harassment during the making of the film. She claims that Baldoni and associated parties initiated a smear campaign against her in retaliation for her complaints. The actress is seeking damages exceeding 0 million, a claim that Baldoni has categorically denied.
Earlier this year, Judge Liman dismissed a 0 million defamation countersuit that Baldoni had brought against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as rejecting a 0 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times regarding its coverage of the initial allegations made by Lively. In a related development, Baldoni failed to meet the deadline for an appeal concerning these dismissals.
The legal proceedings are slated to continue with a courtroom face-off scheduled for March, as both parties prepare for further developments in this high-profile case.
