A federal judge has delivered a mixed ruling in the ongoing legal dispute between actress Blake Lively and her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni. The decision, which came from Judge Lewis Liman, granted part of Lively's subpoena for phone records while also rejecting certain requests deemed “overly intrusive and disproportionate to the needs of the case.”
Lively’s legal team had requested access to call and text logs between Baldoni, his public relations team, and employees of Wayfarer Studios, the production company behind the film “It Ends With Us.” The requested records were to span from December 1, 2022, to the present. However, Judge Liman expressed concerns over privacy, noting that while Lively's lawyers were not seeking the actual content of the communications, the phone records could still reveal sensitive information, including details about the doctors or psychologists consulted by Baldoni and his associates.
In response to the ruling, Bryan Freedman, an attorney representing Baldoni, praised the judge's decision. He stated, “The Court put a stop to Ms. Lively’s egregious attempt to invade our clients’ privacy. This is a big win.” Freedman further emphasized that the court recognized Lively's efforts as a “desperate fishing expedition” aimed at salvaging her claims, which he described as already debunked and damaging to Baldoni’s reputation.
Despite the setbacks, Lively achieved a partial victory in the ruling. Judge Liman allowed her to “more narrowly” tailor her requests for phone records. He also noted that Baldoni’s legal team failed to demonstrate why Lively could not seek phone information related to individuals who are “non-parties” to the lawsuit. “The Wayfarer Parties may assert a privacy interest in their own phone records, but they have not provided any basis for asserting an interest in the communications of non-parties,” the judge wrote.
The legal conflict between Lively and Baldoni has become one of the most fiercely contested disputes among high-profile actors in recent Hollywood history. Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us,” claiming that following her objections to his behavior, he collaborated with his PR team to orchestrate an online smear campaign aimed at damaging her reputation. Conversely, Baldoni has accused Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of making false accusations and attempting to ruin his career. He has also initiated a lawsuit against the New York Times, which published Lively’s harassment allegations weeks prior to her filing a lawsuit.
This ongoing legal battle continues to attract significant media attention, highlighting the complexities of personal and professional relationships within the entertainment industry.
Pat Saperstein contributed to this report.
