The actress has accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment during the filming of 'It Ends With Us'. Photo: TNS
Blake Lively’s legal team has subpoenaed Justin Baldoni’s communications as part of the discovery process in her suit claiming her It Ends With Us director conducted a smear campaign following alleged on-set sexual harassment.
Lawyers for Lively, 37, subpoenaed Baldoni’ phone records from AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile. She’s is also seeking the records of his fellow Wayfarer Studios co-founders, Jamey Heath and billionaire Steve Sarowitz, as well as publicists Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan, according to Variety.
As part of the subpoena, the Lively camp is seeking more than two years’ worth of calls, texts and location data, according to Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, who said the requested scope is “extraordinary.”
Lively’s attorneys have also subpoenaed Cloudflare, AOL and crisis consultant Jed Wallace, who last week filed a defamation lawsuit against the Gossip Girl alum for accusing him of participating in the alleged smear campaign.
“Phone records belonging to all of the individual defendants will expose the full web of individuals who were involved in the smear campaign against Ms Lively,” a representative for the A Simple Favor actress told Variety in a statement.
“Such records will provide critical and irrefutable evidence not only about who, but also about when, where, and how their retaliation plan came together and operated.”
Lively accused Baldoni in late December of sexual harassment during the filming of It Ends With Us and alleges he and his associates launched a smear campaign to discredit her before those allegations came to light.
Her claims were spotlit in a New York Times article. Baldoni on Dec 31 sued the outlet for US$250mil (RM1.11bil) for defamation, the same day Lively formally sued him for sexual harassment.
Baldoni then sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane in January for US$400mil (RM1.77bil), accusing them of defamation and civil extortion.
The Jane The Virgin alum, 41, also claims Lively tried to intimidate him into giving her creative control over the film by leveraging the star power of her husband as well as best pal Taylor Swift.
The duelling lawsuits are currently set to head to court March 9, 2026. A mediator was assigned this week.
Judge Lewis Liman has declined to grant Lively’s request for an extension on the deadline to amend her complaint and demanded it be submitted by Tuesday. – New York Daily News/Tribune News Service
