Blake Lively's Attorneys Issue Subpoenas for Phone Records in Smear Campaign Lawsuit
On Wednesday, Blake Lively's legal team issued subpoenas seeking phone records for Justin Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios co-founder Steve Sarowitz, publicist Melissa Nathan, and former publicist Jennifer Abel. Lively is suing Baldoni and his alleged associates, alleging they launched a smear campaign against her after she reported sexual harassment on set.
The subpoenas, served to Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, aim to uncover the extent of the alleged smear campaign, including the individuals involved, the timeline, and the methods employed. "Phone records of all individual defendants will expose the full network of participants," stated a Lively spokesperson.
Lively's attorneys also subpoenaed Cloudflare, AOL, and Jed Wallace, a crisis consultant accused of deploying a "digital army" against her. The phone records, which may include metadata such as call logs and text message timestamps, could provide additional evidence in support of Lively's claims.
Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, characterized the subpoenas as a "massive fishing expedition" and denied any wrongdoing. "They will find nothing," he stated.
Lively's amended complaint was initially due on Friday. However, her team requested an extension until March 5 to address new allegations. Judge Lewis J. Liman granted a four-day extension, setting the deadline for Tuesday.
The lawsuit continues to unfold, with the potential for discovery revealing further details of the alleged smear campaign and the involvement of multiple parties.