Blake Lively requests extra protection after violent messages amid Justin Baldoni battle

Blake Lively has requested increased protection amid her ongoing legal battle with It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni.

The Gossip Girl alum has filed the request after receiving "violent, profane, sexist, and threatening" messages, as per her lawyers, according to People Magazine.

On February 20, attorneys for lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds submitted a letter to Judge Lewis J. Liman in New York, urging the court to implement a stronger protective order.

This request comes after Blake Lively's amended complaint, which her legal team claims contains “significant additional evidence” of harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign.

However, Baldoni and his team have denied the allegations.

The submitted letter also stated, "As detailed in Ms. Lively’s Amended Complaint, Ms. Lively, her family, other members of the cast, various fact witnesses, and individuals that have spoken out publicly in support of Ms. Lively have received violent, profane, sexist, and threatening communications."

On the other hand, Lively’s publicist Leslie Sloane has requested to be removed from the lawsuit, calling her involvement a “distraction” from the main issues.