Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Calls Blake Lively's Subpoena for Actor's Phone Records a 'Massive Fishing Expedition'

Mar. 15, 2025

Photo:James Devaney/GC Images; Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty

James Devaney/GC Images; Kristina Bumphrey/WWD via Getty

Justin Baldoni’s attorney is speaking out aboutBlake Lively’s quest to obtain the actor’s phone records and communications in their legal battle.

The actress recently filed subpoenas seeking the phone records of Baldoni, 41, and his associates to “expose” thealleged smear campaignthey claim theIt Ends With Usdirector launched against her.

Baldoni’s lawyerBryan Freedmanresponded in a Feb. 12 statement, saying, “Subpoenas are an ordinary part of the litigation process. What is extraordinary is what the Lively Parties are seeking. They are asking for every single call, text, data log and even real-time location information for the past 2.5 years, regardless of the sender, recipient or subject matter.”

“This massive fishing expedition demonstrates that they are desperately seeking any factual basis for their provably false claims. They will find none,” he added.

Lively, 37,filed the subpoenas to"expose the people, tactics and methods that have worked to ‘destroy’ and ‘bury’ her reputation and family over the past year,” her lawyers,Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a statement Feb. 12.

Subpoenas were sent to AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile for phone records belonging to Baldoni, publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis-management expert Melissa Nathan to “expose the full web of individuals who were involved in the smear campaign against” Lively, a spokesperson for the actress said.

The spokesperson claimed the records could “provide critical and irrefutable evidence not only about who, but also about when, where and how their retaliation plan came together and operated.”

Cloudflare, Inc. and AOL were also sent subpoenas for internet records to “show the involvement of different persons who might be playing key roles in digital retaliation,” per the spokesperson.

Lively first accused Baldoni, with whom she also costars inIt Ends With Us, and others of sexual harassment andan alleged retaliatory public smear campaignin a December 2024 complaint.

Since the initial complaint, Baldoni has denied Lively’s allegations. On Dec. 31, 2024, hefiled a $250 million lawsuit againstThe New YorkTimesalleging libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract regarding a Dec. 21 article from the outlet titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”

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Blake Lively in New York City on Dec. 11, 2024; Justin Baldoni in Los Angeles on Dec. 4, 2024.Katie Jones/Beauty Inc via Getty; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty

Katie Jones/Beauty Inc via Getty; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty

The following day, Baldoni’s attorney, Freedman, told PEOPLE on behalf of his client that they are “releasing all of the evidencewhich will show a pattern of bullying and threats” from Lively to take over” the film, adding in part, “We have all the receipts and more.”

Baldoni countered Lively’s initial claim with a$400 million lawsuiton Jan. 16 against the actress, her husbandRyan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR, Inc. alleging several claims, including civil extortion and defamation.

The case,Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al., is scheduleto go to trial on March 9, 2026.

source: people.com