Blake Lively Wins Subpoena Battle for Justin Baldoni’s Phone Records

In a significant turn of events in the ongoing legal confrontation between Blake Lively and her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni, a federal judge issued a mixed ruling. This decision permitted certain aspects of Lively’s subpoena for telephonic records while concurrently dismissing other requests that he deemed excessively intrusive and disproportionate to the exigencies of the case.

Lively’s legal representatives sought to obtain comprehensive call and text logs involving Baldoni, his public relations team, and other personnel associated with Wayfarer Studios, the production entity responsible for “It Ends With Us,” covering the period from December 1, 2022, to the present. However, Judge Lewis Liman articulated that although Lively’s attorneys were not requesting the substantive content of the communications, “the phone records themselves would still encompass sensitive information concerning which medical professionals, psychologists, or acquaintances the Wayfarer Parties communicated with, and during what times.”

Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, commended the ruling in a statement, asserting, “The Court effectively curtailed Ms. Lively’s egregious endeavor to infringe upon our clients’ privacy. This constitutes a considerable victory. Regardless of how the Lively Parties may attempt to reinterpret this decision, the Court recognized their efforts for what they truly are: a desperate fishing expedition aimed at salvaging their discredited claims long after they have already tarnished our clients’ reputations in the New York Times.”

Nonetheless, Lively achieved a degree of success. Judge Liman specified that she could refine her requests for phone records, while also noting that Baldoni’s counsel failed to provide sufficient justification as to why Lively should be precluded from seeking telephonic information pertaining to individuals who are “non-parties” to the lawsuit.

“The Wayfarer Parties may assert a privacy interest in their own communications, yet they have not presented any foundation for claiming an interest in the correspondence of non-parties,” the judge elucidated.

The legal wrangling between Lively and Baldoni has unfolded as one of the most acrimonious disputes among prominent actors in contemporary Hollywood. Lively has alleged that Baldoni engaged in sexual harassment during the filming of “It Ends With Us” and contends that, following her objections to his alleged conduct, he collaborated with his public relations team to orchestrate a detrimental smear campaign aimed at undermining her reputation. Balancing this, Baldoni has countered with allegations that both Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, are disseminating falsehoods attempting to obliterate his career. Additionally, he has filed a lawsuit against the New York Times, which published Lively’s allegations mere weeks prior to her own legal action.

Pat Saperstein contributed to this report.