Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni Raymond Hall/GC Images;Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Vital Voices Global Partnership
A judge has ruled that Blake Lively cannot subpoena all of Justin Baldoni’s text messages for their ongoing legal battle, Us Weekly can confirm.
On Friday, February 28, the judge partially granted Lively’s request for the cell phone records of Baldoni, 41, multiple members of his production company Wayfarer Studios and his publicists. The court is allowing Lively, 37, to request phone records of individuals not directly involved in the lawsuit.
However, the judge also rejected part of Lively’s request — more than two years of phone records — stating it was “overly intrusive and disproportionate to the needs of the case.”
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman released a statement on their partial victory.
Justin Baldoni’s lawyers slammed Blake Lively’s legal team as they are seeking phone records amid their ongoing legal drama. According to court documents obtained by Us Weekly, a letter was sent to the judge on Friday, February 14, by Mitchell Schuster, who represents Baldoni, 41, and his production company Wayfarer Studios. In the paperwork, Schuster […]
“The Court put a stop to Ms. Lively’s egregious attempt to invade our clients’ privacy. This is a big win,” Freedman said in a statement to Us on Friday. “No matter how the Lively Parties may try to spin this decision, the Court saw their efforts for what they really are: a desperate fishing expedition intended to salvage their debunked claims long after they already savaged our clients’ reputations in the New York Times.”
Lively’s legal team also spoke out about the ruling in a statement to Us.
Blake Lively (L) and Justin Baldoni Gotham/GC Images/Getty Images
“What is Bryan Freedman hiding? After promising to release all the ‘receipts,’ Freedman ran into court to keep secret the phone records of who Baldoni, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, Wallace and Abel were calling during their retaliatory campaign,” read a statement from a spokesperson for Lively. “So, instead of getting these records from the phone carriers the way we initially requested, the judge has ruled that if we simply submit more specific requests, we will be able to get the records we are seeking. Today we will do that, we are submitting those requests directly to defendants involved and we look forward to seeing the records.”
Baldoni and Lively’s legal drama began in December 2024 when the actress sued her It Ends With Us costar and director for sexual harassment on set. She also accused Baldoni and his crisis management team of orchestrating a scheme to damage her reputation.
Blake Lively is seeking Justin Baldoni’s phone records to uncover further evidence of his alleged smear campaign against her. Lively’s lawyers sent subpoenas to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile, requesting records for Baldoni, 41, as well as film producer Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz, the cofounder of Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios, Us Weekly confirms. The […]
Baldoni denied the allegations and countersued Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist, Leslie Sloane, seeking $400 million in damages. Sloane, for her part, has requested to be removed from the lawsuit. Baldoni also filed a suit against The New York Times, who initially published Lively’s claims. The newspaper has defended its reporting and Lively has denied all of Baldoni’s counterclaims.
On Friday, news broke that Lively hired PR crisis manager Nick Shapiro for her team. Shapiro is a former CIA employee.
“The litigation team for Ms. Lively retained Mr. Shapiro to advise on the legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit occurring in the Southern District of New York,” Lively’s legal team confirmed to Us Weekly in a statement on Friday.
Lively and Baldoni have refused mediation and are scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.
