"Overly Intrusive" - Judge partially rejects Blake Lively's subpoena for Justin Baldoni’s phone records 

A federal court has partially rejected Blake Lively's request for Justin Baldoni's phone records, citing privacy concerns. Lewis J. Liman, a U.S. District Judge, ruled on February 28 that Lively's request for correspondence between Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios going back to 2022 was "overly intrusive and disproportionate to the needs of the case."

Blake Lively's legal team had requested access to Baldoni's phone logs from 2022 as well as those of his production firm, Wayfarer Studios. The purpose of the request was to find any possible proof of a concerted attempt to harm her reputation. However, the subpoena was denied by the court over concerns that it may reveal irrelevant and private information.

Nevertheless, Lively is still able to make specific requests, and her legal team has already begun contacting the defendants.

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Judge rejects Blake Lively's broad request

Judge Liman stressed in his decision that Blake Lively had not tailored her request enough to prevent violating the privacy of unconnected people.

The Judge noted,

“Lively has identified no means to segregate those numbers that may have some relevance to her case from those numbers that would have no relevance and would reveal sensitive personal information,”

The court permitted Blake Lively to ask for information from particular people she had previously named as being involved in the alleged smear campaign, even if it prohibited access to Baldoni's phone records. This implies that the actor may still make focused discovery requests even as she is unable to get specific documents.

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Attorneys react to the ruling

Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, applauded the verdict after it was rendered and claimed that Blake Lively was trying to go out a "fishing expedition" to bolster her allegations.

In a statement, Freedman said,

“The Court put a stop to Ms. Lively’s egregious attempt to invade our clients’ privacy. This is a big win."

He continued,

"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.”

However, Lively's team contested the decision, raising concerns about Baldoni's motivations for opposing the release of phone data.

Lively's representative said,

“What is Bryan Freedman hiding? Instead of getting these records from the phone carriers the way we initially requested, the judge has ruled that if we submit more specific requests, we will be able to get the records we are seeking.”

Lively's legal team has already started sending new, more focused inquiries straight to the defendants in question, the spokeswoman continued to add.

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Lively vs Baldoni: How it started

In December 2024, Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni, alleging that the actor-director had engaged in improper behavior while working on the It Ends With Us set. This initiated the legal battle between the two parties. Lively claimed that when she came forward with allegations of sexual harassment, Baldoni and his team, allegedly orchestrated a smear campaign against her in an attempt to damage her reputation in the press.

Alleging extortion and defamation, Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively, her husband, publicist and The New York Times in January 2025. He claimed that Lively's charges were unfounded and meant to repair her reputation at his expense.

On February 13, the attorneys for both parties informed the federal court that they would not be participating in mediation, and the case will now go to trial. March 9, 2026 has been chosen as the trial date.

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