Blake Lively Seeks Justin Baldoni's Phone Records in Legal Battle

Blake Lively is taking more action against Justin Baldoni.

In the midst of a prolonged legal dispute between the team who worked on “It Ends With Us,” one of the cast members from “Gossip Girl” has requested her former director’s phone records through a subpoena. This move was confirmed by lawyers Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson.

The energetic individual, who is married to Ryan Reynolds and has children named James (age 10), Inez (8), Betty (5), and Olin (born in 2023), has initiated a lawsuit. Her legal team stated in a February 12 statement to People that the purpose of this legal action is to uncover the individuals, strategies, and approaches that have been used to damage her reputation and her family over the past year.

A representative from Lively stated to People magazine that subpoenas had been issued to AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile for Baldoni, as well as crisis PR expert Melissa Nathan and publicist Jessica Abel. The intention was to unveil the entirety of the supposed deceitful campaign, which is alleged to have targeted the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress.

The representative underscored the legitimacy of the subpoena demands, stating that the information being sought would offer essential and undeniable proof not just on who was involved, but also on when, where, and how the retaliation strategy was formulated and executed.

In reply, Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, informed the outlet that they’ve moved into a typical phase in the legal proceedings, whereas Lively’s attorneys have made an unusual demand.

Freedman stated, “They want access to every phone call, text message, data record, and real-time location details from the past 2.5 years, irrespective of who was involved or the content. This extensive data search shows they’re desperately trying to find any evidence supporting their clearly untrue assertions. They won’t find any.”

TopMob News has reached out to lawyers for Lively and Baldoni but has not yet heard back.

Livey’s quest for phone records is simply the most recent chapter in her ongoing legal disputes with Baldoni. In December, the 37-year-old lodged a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing retaliation after she reported instances of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us“. A few weeks later, she also filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, claiming mental suffering, emotional distress, lost income, and sexual harassment, among other things.

In response, Baldoni initiated two lawsuits: a $400 million countersuit against Lively, Reynolds, their publicist, and a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. The latter was filed due to their publication of a story outlining Lively’s initial civil rights complaint. The New York Times has declared they will strongly defend themselves against this lawsuit.

Keep reading for more on Baldoni and Lively’s ongoing dispute…

Four months following the cinema release of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us,” Blake Lively submitted a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20, as reported by The New York Times.

In the complaint acquired by TopMob News, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, cofounder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, her company RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, her company The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc. were named as defendants.

Lively claimed in her complaint that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates initiated a “sophisticated press and digital plan” as retaliation for her expressing concerns about alleged misconduct on set—with her stating she and other cast and crew members “encountered invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” from Baldoni and Heath.

The actress further asserted that this alleged campaign against her resulted in significant harm to both her personal and professional life.

The charges listed in the complaint include sexual harassment; retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent, or remedy harassment; aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation; breach of contract; intentional infliction of emotional distress; negligence; false light invasion of privacy and interference with prospective economic advantage.

The following day, an article appeared in The New York Times, detailing a supposed counterattack smear strategy that Baldoni and his allies were accused of employing against Lively – backed by her CRD complaint. In the piece, the publication shared messages sent by Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), and Nathan (crisis communications specialist) – all named in her complaint. The readers had access to the related court documents on The New York Times‘s website as well.

Lively expressed hope that her legal action would expose these underhanded retaliatory tactics aimed at silencing those who speak out against misconduct, and safeguard others who might be subjected to similar treatment.

Following the disclosure of Lively’s grievances, Bryan Freedman – lawyer for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives – forcefully disputed Lively’s claims.

In a statement on The New York Times website, he stated: “It’s disgraceful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such grave and absolutely untrue accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives. This seems to be another desperate attempt to improve her negative reputation, which was earned through her own statements and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were openly accessible, uncensored, and allowed the public to form their own opinions. These allegations are entirely false, outrageous, deliberately sensational, and intended to harm publicly and perpetuate a media narrative.”

Freedman also justified Wayfarer’s hiring of a crisis manager, explaining this was done prior to the movie’s marketing campaign.

Later, he added: “The representatives of Wayfarer Studios didn’t take any proactive measures nor retaliated, but only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure fair and accurate reporting and monitored social activity. What is notably absent from the selectively presented correspondence is the evidence that there were no proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; just internal planning and private communication for strategy – which is standard practice among public relations professionals.

After an article by The New York Times, published on December 21st, William Morris Endeavor (WME) ended their association with Baldoni. Ari Emanuel, the CEO of WME’s parent company Endeavor, confirmed this to the outlet. However, it was later denied that Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband and a client of WME, played any role in the agency’s decision to part ways with Baldoni. This claim was made by Baldoni in his subsequent lawsuit against The New York Times (more details below). In response, WME clarified to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1st that Baldoni’s allegation about Reynolds pressuring Baldoni’s agent at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere was false. Additionally, they stated that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and there was no pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time for WME to drop Baldoni as a client.

After Lively’s CRD filing and an article in The New York Times, several notable individuals expressed their reactions to her accusations against Baldoni. For instance, the author of ‘It Ends With Us’, Colleen Hoover, posted on Instagram Stories, “Blake Lively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive, and patient since the day we met…Never change. Never wilt.”

Jenny Slate, who portrayed Baldoni’s character Ryle’s sister, also voiced her support for Lively. On December 23, she stated to Today, “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I express my backing as she takes action against those reported to have orchestrated an assault on her reputation.” She further emphasized that Lively is a leader, reliable friend, and a source of emotional support for many.

Brandon Sklenar, who played a love interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom, shared the complaint published on The New York Times’ website and linked to the outlet, writing, “For the love of God, read this.”

Furthermore, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn expressed their solidarity with her.

Liz Plank recently informed her followers on Instagram about leaving her role as co-host of The Man Enough Podcast. She expressed gratitude for the audience’s trust, emotional sharing, and community spirit created over the past four years. Although she did not specify a reason for her departure, it occurred shortly after Blake Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank emphasized her continued commitment to the shared values they built together and pledged to keep everyone informed as she processes the situation further. She also reaffirmed her support for those who stand up against injustice and hold accountable those who obstruct them.

In a lawsuit filed against him in New York on Christmas Eve, Baldoni’s former publicist Stephanie Jones and her agency, Jonesworks LLC, accused Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan of conspiring to attack Jones and breach contracts. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan orchestrated a smear campaign against Baldoni’s film co-star, using it as an opportunity to damage Jones’s reputation in the industry. Abel had previously worked at Jonesworks but left last summer, according to her LinkedIn profile. The suit alleges that Abel and Nathan are now falsely blaming Jones for their own misconduct as it comes to light, and continue to defame and attack her. Additionally, Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer clients of Jonesworks, are accused of breaking their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to settle the dispute privately in arbitration. The defendants have been contacted for comment by TopMob News.

In an interview with Variety, Lively’s legal team stated on December 23 that they acquired the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena sent to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, and Baldoni along with his Wayfarer colleagues, further clarified to this outlet that none of his clients were subpoenaed regarding this matter. He also expressed his intention to sue Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s attorneys.

On December 31st, Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace, and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times. In this lawsuit, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract due to an article about a supposed retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly carried out against Lively after she expressed concerns about misconduct on set.

The plaintiffs claim that the report was false and based solely on Lively’s complaint to CRD. They deny the accusations, stating that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context. The lawsuit asserts that The New York Times “reliied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative,” while overlooking evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.

Additionally, they allege that it was Lively, not the plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign. However, Lively has denied this claim. The New York Times has stated that it plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” They maintain that their story was thoroughly and responsibly reported, based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails quoted accurately in the article.

On the same day, Lively initiated a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, Nathan’s company TAG, and Abel in New York. As reported by TopMob News from court documents, she is accusing these defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, failing to address harassment, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, intentionally causing emotional distress, negligently causing emotional distress, and invading her privacy through false light.

These allegations were initially detailed in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month. In response to this lawsuit, Baldoni and his associates have filed a counterclaim against The New York Times – which does not name Lively as a defendant. However, Lively’s lawyers stated in response to TopMob that “the filing of this lawsuit doesn’t alter anything about the claims in her CRD and federal complaints.”

They further noted that “the premise that Lively filed an administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others as a ruse because she didn’t intend to file a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer, is false. As evidenced by the federal complaint filed by Lively today, this framing for the Wayfarer lawsuit is incorrect.

As a lifestyle expert, I am closely following the developments in Baldoni and his associates’ legal battle against The New York Times. In simple terms, they have made it clear that this is not their final fight. They believe there are more parties involved who have acted unscrupulously, and as the court documents state, this will not be their only lawsuit. In a recent interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s legal representative, Freedman, confirmed that they indeed plan to take further legal action against actress Lively.

The conversation surrounding Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ended yet. For example, some social media users have suggested that Reynolds, in his movie “Deadpool & Wolverine,” may have teased Baldoni through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds has not spoken publicly about these speculations; however, Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, shared his opinion on the matter. During an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show” posted to YouTube on January 7th, he stated, “When your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni. You don’t turn the situation into a joke by mocking him. Instead, you take it seriously, file HR complaints, raise the issue, and follow a legal process.

In a statement to TopMob News on January 7th, Lively’s legal team clarified that their lawsuit against Wayfarer and associates in the Southern District of New York involves substantial allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. They emphasized that this is not a dispute stemming from creative differences or a he-said-she-said situation, but rather an instance of unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing by Wayfarer against Lively for standing up for herself and others on set. Since the filing of the lawsuit, they allege that there have been further attacks against Lively.

The legal team stressed that everyone should bear in mind that sexual harassment and retaliation are prohibited in all workplaces and industries. They warned against common tactics to deflect allegations of misconduct, such as blaming the victim or suggesting that they invited the behavior, misunderstood intentions, or lied. Instead, they argued, these strategies serve to normalize and trivialize serious allegations. Furthermore, they pointed out that media statements do not constitute a defense against Lively’s claims, and they intend to proceed with prosecuting their case in court.

On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s firm Vision PR in New York.

The lawsuit, obtained by TopMob News, alleges that all defendants are responsible for civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy through false light. Lively and Reynolds are additionally accused of breaching the implied covenant of good faith, interfering with contractual relations intentionally or negligently, and exploiting economic advantages.

The plaintiffs deny Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign. Instead, they accuse her of taking control of It Ends With Us and collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the plaintiffs’ reputation in the media after Lively faced backlash for promoting the film, which she claims was done in accordance with Sony’s marketing plan.

In their lawsuit, plaintiffs claim defendants colluded with The New York Times to release a sensational but untrue news story. The media outlet has maintained its report’s validity. Regarding the matter, Freedman stated to TopMob that either Blake Lively was deceived by her team or she deliberately misrepresented the truth.

Lively’s legal team referred to his lawsuit as “a common tactic in the script of an abuser,” stating to TopMob News, “This scenario is all too familiar: A woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and reprisal, and the offender tries to counterattack the accuser. This behavior is often labeled DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.

Beyond her initial accusations, she also claimed that he reacted by counterattacking. Essentially, Baldoni is attempting to change the conversation, implying that Amber Lively took creative control and drove the cast away from Mr. Baldoni.

It went on to state, “The proof will reveal that both the cast and others encountered unfavorable interactions with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Furthermore, the evidence will demonstrate that Sony requested Ms. Lively to manage Sony’s portion of the film. After selecting it for distribution, this selection turned out to be a hit.

Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.

In their defense against sexual harassment accusations, they argued that she invited it or was responsible for what happened to her, citing her clothing as evidence. However, her legal team pointed out that this tactic is a desperate attempt to shift blame from the abuser to the victim. It does not counter the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint and will ultimately fail, since the focus should be on the abuse itself rather than the victim.

Baldoni’s attorney shared exclusive, backstage video from the making of “It Ends With Us“, stating that the actor’s behavior in the footage directly contradicts Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him.

In my expert opinion, the particular moment depicted was skillfully crafted to convey the blossoming love between the two characters and their yearning for physical proximity. It’s essential to note that both actors were not only adhering to the demands of their roles but also doing so with mutual regard and professionalism.

In contrast, Lively’s lawyers argue that the video completely supports the account given by Ms. Lively in her lawsuit and claims that every scene was spontaneously directed by Mr. Baldoni without any prior conversation or approval.

The video depicts Ms. Lively pulling back and persistently urging the characters to converse instead, as reported to TopMob News in a statement. A sense of unease similar to that experienced by women who have been subjected to unwanted physical contact at work can be identified in Ms. Lively’s demeanor.

In their case, the couple wrote a letter to the presiding judge, asking for Freedman, who leads Baldoni’s legal team, to be subjected to a gag order during the court proceedings to prevent any inappropriate behavior.

As a lifestyle expert, I’d like to share an intriguing piece of news that recently surfaced. During the production of “It Ends With Us,” it seems that a seven-minute voice memo from Baldoni was leaked online. In this recording, he seemed to discuss the film’s rooftop scene, which Lively reportedly rewrote. He also hinted at a meeting with Reynolds and their mutual friend, Taylor Swift, where these changes were presumably brought up for discussion.

As a lifestyle connoisseur, I can’t stress enough the importance of having friends who not only excel creatively but also complement your own talents. In my experience, the synergy created by such a trio is simply astounding.

In the recording, it appears that Baldoni expressed an apology to the actress for not responding favorably to her script, stating, “I made a mistake. An important aspect about me is that I will acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.

A court hearing had been scheduled for March 9, 2026, exactly one month following the submission of Lively’s legal action against Baldoni.

2025-02-13 18:51

Blake Lively Seeks Justin Baldoni’s Phone Records in Legal Battle

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