Justin Baldoni’s legal battle with Blake Lively has taken a dramatic turn following explosive new claims from his attorney. As details surface about a secret lawsuit filed under Lively’s company Vanzan, Baldoni’s team now accuses her of abusing the legal process to obtain private communications. The revelation has reignited scrutiny around the escalating conflict between the It Ends With Us co-stars.
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer calls out Blake Lively’s legal move
Justin Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman has accused Blake Lively of filing a “sham lawsuit” under the name of her company Vanzan. He claims Lively used the lawsuit to gain subpoena power without oversight.
Freedman told Deadline on April 21, 2025, “There is nothing normal about this. Officers of the court have a duty of candor to the court and an obligation not to file fictitious lawsuits that have no basis in fact or law. This was done in bad faith and constitutes a flagrant abuse of process.”
The hidden lawsuit, filed on September 27, 2024, in New York, targeted ten unnamed “Does.” It did not identify Lively or her husband Ryan Reynolds. The plaintiff, Vanzan—where Lively serves as CEO—reportedly used the lawsuit to obtain electronic communications from Jonesworks head Stephanie Jones.
Jones allegedly possessed material linked to an online smear campaign against Lively. The subpoena, dated October 1, 2024, required Jones to hand over a device. That device contained communications later featured in a New York Times exposé published in December 2024.
Freedman argues the lawsuit denied Baldoni and others the ability to challenge the subpoena’s scope and legitimacy. He further claimed that Lively’s actions attempted to bypass normal legal procedures.
Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, defended the move, stating: “There is nothing untoward here — just conscientious and thorough investigation.” They confirmed the subpoena uncovered “the Wayfarer Parties’ documented plan – in their own words, in their own text messages – to ‘destroy’ Blake Lively.”
Lively’s team voluntarily withdrew the Vanzan suit on December 19, 2024, one day before she publicly filed with California’s Civil Rights Department.
The court has scheduled Baldoni’s defamation and extortion case to go to trial on March 9, 2026.
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on ComingSoon.
