A judge has denied Blake Lively’s request for Justin Baldoni’s phone records, calling it “overly intrusive.” The decision is the latest development in the ongoing legal battle between the two, which stems from Lively’s allegations that Baldoni led a smear campaign against her following accusations of sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us.
Judge blocks Lively’s subpoena for Baldoni’s phone records
Lively’s legal team had subpoenaed the phone records of Baldoni and several others, claiming they were involved in efforts to damage her reputation. However, Judge Lewis Liman ruled on Friday that her request was too broad and posed privacy concerns.
“The Court put a stop to Ms. Lively’s egregious attempt to invade our clients’ privacy,” Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, told Fox News Digital. “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.”
While the judge denied Lively’s request for Baldoni’s phone records, he did allow her to seek similar information from other individuals potentially involved in the alleged smear campaign.
Why was Lively’s request denied?
Judge Liman explained that even though Lively had narrowed her request to exclude the content of calls and messages, the records themselves could still reveal sensitive information, such as contact with doctors, psychologists, or acquaintances.
However, the ruling doesn’t completely shut down Lively’s search for evidence. The judge noted that she could still request phone records from other parties involved, as long as the requests were more specific.
“Even assuming additional individuals participated in the alleged campaign, the hope that discovery will turn up information does not justify the broad scope of the subpoenas,” the judge wrote.
Lively’s legal team responds
Lively’s team quickly pushed back against the ruling, questioning why Baldoni and his associates were trying to keep certain information hidden.
“What is Bryan Freedman hiding?” a spokesperson for Lively asked. “Instead of getting these records from the phone carriers as we originally requested, the judge ruled that if we submit more specific requests, we can still obtain the records we need.”
The actress’s legal team has since confirmed that they are submitting those new requests directly to the individuals involved.
Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, first subpoenaed the phone records on February 13, as part of her legal battle against Baldoni. The Gossip Girl star accused Baldoni of orchestrating a smear campaign after she publicly accused him of sexual harassment.
In response, Baldoni filed a lawsuit in January, arguing that Lively’s accusations were false and that she was using them to repair her own reputation. His legal team claims that there is no evidence of a deliberate effort to harm her career.