Blake Lively Seeks Justin Baldoni’s Phone Records in Search for More Evidence of Smear Campaign

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On Wednesday, lawyers representing Blake Lively issued a request for Justin Baldoni’s call logs and text messages, as they aim to bolster their claim that he orchestrated a malicious gossip campaign against her.

In a legal move, Lively has decided to take action against the director and her co-star from “It Ends With Us,” claiming they maliciously defamed her on social media as a form of retribution for her accusations of inappropriate behavior on set.

Lively’s legal team has obtained a large number of text conversations from Jennifer Abel, one of Baldoni’s public relations representatives. These messages contain talks about attempting to “cover up” and “discredit” Lively, but they might not reveal all the details on how such an attempt could have been executed.

Lawyers for Lively have issued subpoenas to cellular providers AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, requesting information related to Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, and Steve Sarowitz (co-founder of Wayfarer Studios). These subpoenas also demand the phone records for Abel and Melissa Nathan, a publicist.

According to a representative of Ms. Lively, the phone records of all defendants will unveil the entire network of people involved in the defamatory campaign against her. These records are expected to offer crucial and undeniable evidence not just on who was involved, but also on when, where, and how the plan to retaliate was coordinated and executed.

In addition to Lively’s legal team issuing subpoenas, they also directed them towards two internet service providers, Cloudflare and AOL, as well as Jed Wallace, a consultant in crisis management. Wallace is alleged to have orchestrated what is referred to as a “digital army” against Lively on Baldoni’s behalf, though he denies any involvement and has counter-sued Lively for defamation.

Ms. Lively’s legal team, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, declared in a statement that they are embarking on an investigation to reveal those responsible for damaging her reputation and family over the past year, along with their strategies and techniques,”

Or:

“In a statement, Ms. Lively’s lawyers, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, announced that they will uncover the individuals, approaches, and actions taken in the last year to harm her reputation and family, as well as the methods used to conceal this damage,”

Both options convey the same information but use slightly different wording to create variety.

Lively’s representative confirmed that Wallace’s role had been disclosed in the messages previously acquired by their team. One of these messages suggested that Wallace was making progress in attempting to “change the conversation.

The representative shared that they’re eager to delve deeper into Jed Wallace’s entire business structure and uncover any other activities potentially used to divert attention from the substantial sexual harassment and retaliation allegations by Ms. Lively. They are thrilled to begin the process of exploring this matter.

Baldoni’s camp did not immediately respond to comment on the latest development.

The phone logs might reveal details about the communication between different parties, such as who contacted whom and at what times. However, they would not typically disclose the specific contents of the calls or messages. It’s likely that both parties will attempt to acquire these communication records directly from each other in the course of litigation.

Originally, Lively’s team was set to submit a revised lawsuit on a Friday. However, earlier this week, they requested an extension until March 5th, citing the requirement to address substantial new accusations.

Baldoni’s team didn’t voice opposition to the request, but Judge Lewis J. Liman still declined to honor it, granting additional time of just four days to Lively’s legal team. Now, the revised complaint is expected by next Tuesday.

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2025-02-13 05:20