A judge has ruled that Blake Lively cannot subpoena all of Justin Baldoni’s text messages in their ongoing legal battle, Us Weekly confirms.
On Friday, February 28, the judge partially granted Lively’s request for phone records from Baldoni, 41, and members of his production company, Wayfarer Studios, as well as certain journalists. The court allowed Lively, 37, to seek phone records from individuals not directly involved in the legal proceedings.
However, the judge denied Lively’s request for more than two years of phone records, stating that it was “too intrusive and disproportionate to the needs of the case.”
Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, issued a statement regarding the partial victory:
“The court halted Ms. Lively’s massive attempt to invade our clients’ privacy. This is a significant win. Regardless of how the Lively team tries to spin this decision, the court saw their efforts for what they truly are: a desperate fishing expedition intended to salvage their defamatory claims long after they’ve already damaged our clients’ reputations in The New York Times.”
Lively’s legal team also responded to the ruling in a statement to Us Weekly:
“After promising to release all ‘bombshells,’ Bryan Freedman went to court to block phone records revealing who Baldoni, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, Wallace, and Abel contacted during their smear campaign. Instead of obtaining these records from phone carriers as we initially sought, the judge ruled that we can file more specific requests. We are doing so today and look forward to receiving the records.”
The legal dispute between Baldoni and Lively began in December 2024 when the actress filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, accusing him of sexual harassment on set. She also alleged that Baldoni and his crisis management team orchestrated a scheme to harm her reputation.
Baldoni has denied the allegations and countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist Leslie Sloane, seeking $400 million in damages. Sloane has requested to be removed from the proceedings. Baldoni has also sued The New York Times for its initial reporting on Lively’s claims. The newspaper has stood by its reporting, and Lively has denied Baldoni’s counterclaims.
In a recent development, Lively has hired crisis PR expert Nick Shapiro to join her legal team. Shapiro, a former CIA officer, will advise on the communication strategy for the case.
“Ms. Lively’s litigation team has retained Mr. Shapiro to provide counsel on legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation case in the Southern District of New York,” Lively’s legal team confirmed.
Both parties have declined mediation, and the case is scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.
