A judge has ruled that Blake Lively cannot subpoena all of Justin Baldoni’s text messages in their ongoing legal drama. The court partially approved Lively’s request for Baldoni’s mobile phone records, several members of his production outfit Wayfarer Studios, and his PR team.
However, the court has authorized Lively to request the phone records of individuals who are not directly involved in the lawsuit.
“This request implicates legitimate privacy interests. Even though Lively has narrowed her request to exclude the content of calls or messages, the phone records themselves would still contain sensitive information regarding which doctors, psychologists, or even acquaintances the Wayfarer Parties spoke to, and when,” federal judge Lewis J. Liman wrote.
“The Court put a stop to Ms. Livelys egregious attempt to invade our clients privacy. This is a big win, Bryan Freedman, Justin Baldoni’s attorney, said in a statement to Us Weekly on Friday.
He added: 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.
The film industry was stunned when Lively sued her It Ends With Us co-star Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment on set. Lively’s lawsuit also described an alleged public smear campaign against her, purportedly orchestrated by Baldoni and his public relations team to damage her reputation, a claim Baldoni has vehemently denied.
On the same day, Lively filed her complaint against Baldoni, the New York Times published an investigative piece that delved into the supposed slander against Lively by Baldoni and his team. The viral article asserted Lively’s victimhood, influencing public opinion to favor the Gossip Girl celebrity.
In January, Baldoni counter-sued Lively for $400 million, accusing Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.
“This lawsuit will uncover and expose the false and destructive narrative that was intentionally engineered by a trusted media publication who relied upon nefarious sources and neglected a thorough fact-checking process to confirm the validity of these texts, Freedman previously told People.
Since then, Baldoni and his seasoned entertainment lawyer have been releasing “evidence” to the public in response to Lively’s claims. Now, fans seem to have fallen on Baldoni’s side. The judge said he would move up the trial date if the case continued to be litigated in the press.
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