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Newsweek
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Texas Judge Shoots Down Blake Lively's Complaint About Him Deciding Case
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A federal judge in Texas has denied Blake Lively's attempt to dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by crisis consultant Jed Wallace, allowing the case to proceed despite the actress's argument that the court lacks jurisdiction. Judge David A. Ezra of the Western District of Texas issued a text-only order on Monday stating the motion to dismiss was denied "without prejudice," meaning Lively may refile her arguments at a later date. The dispute centers on accusations tied to the chaotic fallout from the film It Ends With Us, in which Lively stars opposite and is directed by Justin Baldoni. Wallace, who runs the crisis PR firm Street Relations Inc., is suing Lively for defamation, seeking $7 million in damages. Why It Matters Lively's legal team has argued that Wallace restructured his company into a Texas entity shortly before filing the lawsuit in that state, calling it a calculated move to gain jurisdiction. Her attorneys described it as "forum shopping," saying the case belonged in California or New York, where related litigation is underway. Blake Lively attends the special screening of "Another Simple Favor" at Jazz at Lincoln Square on Sunday, April 27, 2025, in New York. Blake Lively attends the special screening of "Another Simple Favor" at Jazz at Lincoln Square on Sunday, April 27, 2025, in New York. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP "The Court cannot, consistent with constitutional due process ... exercise jurisdiction over Plaintiffs' claims because Ms. Lively is not subject to personal jurisdiction in Texas," defense attorneys said in an April 7 motion. Wallace claims he suffered reputational and financial harm after being named in a harassment complaint Lively filed with California's Civil Rights Department, which detailed a campaign of online retaliation allegedly orchestrated by publicists and crisis firms aligned with Baldoni. Wallace denies involvement and says he never met Lively. What To Know Wallace filed his defamation lawsuit following Lively's administrative complaint. He accuses the actress of smearing him without evidence and acting with "negligence or actual malice," seeking $1 million in compensatory damages and $6 million in punitive damages. Wallace's lawyer, Chip Babcock, previously told Newsweek that the suit is not about what Lively claims he did to her but about what she did to him by publicly linking him to sexual harassment allegations. "She accused him of sexual harassment on the set of the film It Ends With Us when he had nothing to do with the production of the movie and had never met Ms. Lively (and still hasn't)," Babcock said. Newsweek reached out to Babcock and Lively's legal team for comment. What People Are Saying Babcock, in comments to Newsweek: "Wallace has now provided that information in sworn testimony and she therefore should be aware that he did not engage in the improper conduct she suspected." Lively's attorneys, in a statement to Fox News Digital: "While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court." What's Next Judge Ezra's decision leaves the door open for Wallace to refine and resubmit his complaint, and Lively can file to dismiss again as proceedings continue. Meanwhile, related litigation in New York continues, where Lively and Baldoni are expected to face each other at trial in March 2026. In that case, Lively accuses Baldoni of harassment, while Baldoni has countersued her for defamation and civil extortion. The judge's refusal to dismiss the Texas case marks another development in what has become a legal battle involving multiple jurisdictions and high-profile entertainment figures. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
Fox News
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Blake Lively demands Justin Baldoni's phone records to expose methods allegedly used to 'destroy' her
Blake Lively is on the hunt for "receipts." Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds' legal team subpoenaed phone records of Justin Baldoni and others involved in the courtroom showdown over an alleged plot to ruin the actress' reputation. Lively accused Baldoni of setting out on a smear campaign after allegedly sexually harassing the "Gossip Girl" star on the set of "It Ends With Us." "Ms. Lively has initiated discovery that will expose the people, tactics, and methods that have worked to 'destroy' and 'bury' her reputation and family over the past year," Lively's lawyers, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "We will now receive all of the 'receipts' that, unsurprisingly, are nowhere to be found on Mr. Freedman's website, and like Ms. Lively, those 'receipts' will have their day in court." The legal team sent out subpoenas to phone carriers and internet providers in a move they claim will uncover "irrefutable evidence" Baldoni spearheaded a smear campaign to destroy Lively's reputation. "Phone records belonging to all of the individual defendants will expose the full web of individuals who were involved in the smear campaign against Ms. Lively," another statement read. "Such records will provide critical and irrefutable evidence not only about who, but also about when, where, and how their retaliation plan came together and operated." Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, slammed the move as a "fishing expedition." "Subpoenas are an ordinary part of the litigation process," Freedman told Fox News Digital. "What is extraordinary is what the Lively Parties are seeking. They are asking for every single call, text, data log, and even real-time location information for the past 2.5 years, regardless of the sender, recipient, or subject matter." "This massive fishing expedition demonstrates that they are desperately seeking any factual basis for their provably false claims. They will find none." Lively's team also subpoenaed records of Jed Wallace, who they claim helped Baldoni lead a negative campaign against the actress. "In their internal private messages that Baldoni's team never expected anyone would see, they bragged that thanks to Jed's work they saw a shift in the narrative to putting a spotlight on Blake and laughed at how sad it was that people so easily want to hate on a woman," Lively's lawyers told Fox News Digital. "We look forward to investigating more about Jed Wallace's entire business model and what else he was doing to distract from the very real sexual harassment and retaliation claims made by Ms. Lively. We are delighted to be able to start discovery on it." Meanwhile, Wallace along with his crisis PR firm, Street Relations Inc., sued Lively for defamation on Feb. 4. The actress had named Wallace and his crisis consulting firm in her initial complaint with the State of California Civil Rights Department but not her formal lawsuit. However, Wallace insisted reputation damage was already done and sued Lively seeking punitive damages in an amount of "not less than $6,000,000." In a statement to Fox News Digital about the defamation lawsuit, Lively's legal team said, "Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively 'into oblivion' for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation. This is not just a publicity stunt — it is transparent retaliation in response to allegations contained within a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department. While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court." WATCH: HOW COULD RELEASED TEXTS IMPACT BLAKE LIVELY-JUSTIN BALDONI CASE? In December, Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court. Baldoni, in his own lawsuit filed in January, insisted that Lively "falsely" had accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation amid the fallout around the movie's press tour after the actress took control of the film. Baldoni's legal team claimed that Lively had no evidence of a deliberate smear campaign and instead worked to repair her reputation by accusing the actor and others of sexual harassment. Both sides have denied the allegations.
Express Tribune
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Blake Lively faces new lawsuit amid Justin Baldoni legal battle
Blake Lively has been hit with another lawsuit amid her legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni. This time, crisis PR firm Street Relations Inc. and its head, Jed Wallace, are suing the actress for defamation, alleging she caused them 'millions of dollars in reputational harm.' According to court documents, Wallace claims Lively identified him and his company in her December 2024 complaint against Baldoni, filed with the California Civil Rights Department. The complaint accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a social media 'smear campaign' against her. While Wallace was not named as a defendant in Lively's federal lawsuit, he argues the damage was already done. Wallace alleges that Lively falsely portrayed him as a subcontractor for TAG, a firm she accused of running a retaliatory campaign against her. He claims this mistake has led to substantial financial losses for his company. Lively's legal team dismissed the lawsuit in a statement to TMZ, calling it 'another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively 'into oblivion' for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation.' This latest legal action comes after Baldoni sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their rep for $400 million over defamation, invasion of privacy, and civil extortion. The ongoing feud, which began with the August 2024 release of It Ends With Us, has sparked major Hollywood controversy.
Fox News
05-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni war escalates with new defamation lawsuit
Blake Lively has found herself entangled in yet another lawsuit. On Tuesday, Jed Wallace and his crisis PR firm, Street Relations Inc., filed a lawsuit against the 37-year-old actress for defamation after she named both parties in her December civil complaint against "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni. While Lively did not name the parties in her formal lawsuit, Wallace said the damage had already been done after naming Wallace and Street Relations in her initial complaint with the State of California Civil Rights Department. "Neither Wallace nor Street had anything to do with the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate or aiding and abetting the alleged harassment or alleged retaliation," the lawsuit, which was obtained by Fox News Digital, states. "Neither could they have breached a contract with Lively because no such contract exists." According to the documents, Lively's claims "made with either negligence or 'actual malice'" have caused "millions of dollars in reputational harm including both general and special damages through emotional harm (Wallace), actual damages and real and projected loss of business (Wallace and Street) in an amount that exceeds $1,000,000." Wallace and Street Relations seek punitive damages in an amount of "not less than $6,000,000." In a statement to Fox News Digital, Lively's legal team said, "Another day, another state, another nine-figure lawsuit seeking to sue Ms. Lively 'into oblivion' for speaking out against sexual harassment and retaliation. This is not just a publicity stunt — it is transparent retaliation in response to allegations contained within a sexual harassment and retaliation complaint that Ms. Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department. While this lawsuit will be dismissed, we are pleased that Mr. Wallace has finally emerged from the shadows, and that he too will be held accountable in federal court." Representatives for Wallace and Street Relations did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. In December, Lively detailed allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, intentional affliction of emotional distress, negligence and more against Baldoni and film producer Jamey Heath in a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights department and later in federal court. In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of civil extortion and defamation. Baldoni's team also released unedited footage from the set of "It Ends With Us" that they claim refutes Lively's previous accusations of sexual harassment. However, the actress' legal team claims the footage backs up Lively's allegations. After the release, Lively's legal team demanded a gag order be issued against Baldoni's lawyer. WATCH: JUSTIN BALDONI RELEASES UNEDITED 'IT ENDS WITH US' FOOTAGE FEATURING BLAKE LIVELY On Jan. 23, Baldoni's lawyers filed a response, calling Lively's gag order attempt an "intimidation tactic" and "tactical gamesmanship." Baldoni and Lively's legal teams were in federal court Monday, when the judge ordered that they follow the New York Rules of Professional Conduct, which limit speaking to the press. Neither party will be permitted to make statements to the press that have a "substantial likelihood" of prejudicing a jury. However, the legal teams will be allowed to defend their client in the media against publicity not created by either side.
