Blake Lively's effort to obtain two years of phone records from Justin Baldoni and his associates hit a legal roadblock this week when a federal judge granted only part of her subpoena, deeming portions of the request "overly intrusive and disproportionate to the needs of the case." In a highly charged lawsuit that has pitted two major Hollywood figures against one another, Lively accuses Baldoni and others of waging a smear campaign after she spoke out about alleged sexual harassment on the set of "It Ends With Us." Baldoni denies the accusations, insisting that Lively is attempting to salvage her image by making baseless claims.
Attorneys for Lively sought logs of calls and text messages between Baldoni, his PR team, and various employees of Wayfarer Studios from December 2022 onward, but U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman concluded that turning over sweeping phone records would compromise personal privacy. "This request implicates legitimate privacy interests," Judge Liman wrote in the order. "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."
Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, hailed the ruling as a victory for the defense. "The Court put a stop to Ms. Lively's egregious attempt to invade our clients' privacy," Freedman stated. "This is a big win. 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."
Although Lively's team could not obtain Baldoni's personal records, Judge Liman did allow the actress to request phone logs from "non-parties" who may have participated in the alleged smear campaign. "Lively may make discovery requests tailored to those individuals," the judge wrote. "She is permitted to use the tools of discovery to identify the contact information or telephone numbers for those individuals. Even assuming additional individuals participated in the alleged campaign, the hope that discovery will turn up information on such participants does not justify the broad scope of the Subpoenas."
In response, a spokesperson for Lively questioned what Baldoni's attorney might be shielding. "What is Bryan Freedman hiding?" the spokesperson said, adding that Freedman had "run into court to keep secret the phone records of who Baldoni, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, Wallace and Abel were calling during their retaliatory campaign." The spokesperson also contended that, per the judge's ruling, Lively's legal team can now serve more precise demands: "We are submitting those requests directly to defendants involved, and we look forward to seeing the records."
The legal confrontation stems from two overlapping lawsuits filed in late 2023 and early 2024. Lively claims Baldoni "set out on a smear campaign" against her after she raised concerns about his alleged behavior, while Baldoni insists these accusations are groundless and designed to shield Lively from criticism about her performance on the film. Baldoni has also filed suit against the New York Times over an article detailing Lively's claims of workplace harassment.
Throughout the dispute, Lively's lawyers have promised to expose "the people, tactics, and methods" used to undermine her reputation. Her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, is named in some of the legal filings, though his role in the litigation remains limited. In seeking phone records, Lively's attorneys argued they needed evidence of coordinated efforts by Baldoni and others at Wayfarer Studios to discredit her allegations.
Amid the legal clash, Freedman has asserted that Lively's claims are "unsubstantial hearsay." Baldoni's camp contends that Lively seized on internal friction during the movie's press tour and pivoted to legal action. According to filings, Lively added two fellow cast members to her complaint, alleging they would testify to inappropriate on-set conduct.
Judge Liman's order clarifies how the discovery process can proceed. While Lively gains a pathway to request records from non-party participants, she remains barred from examining Baldoni's personal call logs. The next phase involves potential depositions and document production, and both sides are preparing for an expected trial date in 2026. Legal experts say the conflict underscores the complexities of high-profile defamation and harassment suits in Hollywood, where public perception can heavily influence negotiations and outcomes.
