Latest news with #Vanzan
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Justin Baldoni ramps up pressure against Blake Lively with subpoena demanding all the telltale texts and emails
Embattled Blake Lively 's legal woes have taken a turn for the worse: She has now been subpoenaed by Justin Baldoni 's team. has learned the papers were handed to her lawyers last week and asks for all communications – including texts and emails – related to Baldoni and the film that sparked the feud, It Ends With Us. Lively, 37, has accused Baldoni, 41, of sexually harassing her during filming and claims he waged a negative publicity campaign against her. He subsequently hit back and sued the actress and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, for $400million, saying her allegations were defamatory and false, and accusing her of attempting to hijack the project. The legal battle has already seen some zingers aired in court, among them Baldoni's claim that she tried to threaten him with Reynolds and erstwhile best friend Taylor Swift – referring to the superstars as 'my dragons' and comparing herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi. Lively has also been accused of failing to read the novel on which the movie is based until well after filming started and forcing Baldoni and his family to sit in the basement during the premiere. Lively first sued on December 20, accusing Baldoni of sexually harassing her and fostering a toxic work environment on the set of their film It Ends With Us On top of that, some of her allegations have begun to look dubious such as the claim that Baldoni had nuzzled her neck and told her 'you smell so good' during a dancing scene. Although the mom-of-four claimed it had been filmed with microphones off, obtained raw footage that showed the sound was on and that the conversation had instead been about the scent of Lively's fake tan. Attention has now turned to who else could be subpoenaed in the case, with Reynolds odds-on to have his communications scrutinized by Baldoni's team. Last week, speculation arose around Swift and Reynolds' friend Hugh Jackman with reports saying that they too are facing a legal grilling. Superstar singer Swift is reportedly furious over being dragged into the case and has not been photographed with Lively for months. Last week, her boyfriend Travis Kelce unfollowed Reynolds – who is currently celebrating his soccer team Wrexham's promotion to the English Football League Championship – in yet another sign that relations between the two couples have cooled. revealed the subpoena had arisen from a 'sham' lawsuit filed by her company Vanzan against anonymous Does 1-10 which was dropped before the 37-year-old's sex assault case was filed The copy of the case summons shows it was dated September 27, 2024, seven weeks after the It Ends With Us premiere Although Kelce is unlikely to be slapped with a subpoena, one person who has already got one is publicist Stephanie Jones who is also being sued by Baldoni after she allegedly turned over a phone belonging to his publicist and her former employee, Jennifer Abel. The messages on the phone between Abel and crisis PR Melissa Nathan were later used as the basis for Lively's claims of a smear campaign, although Baldoni's team hit back saying the texts were selectively edited and released the conversations in full. Jones denied handing over the texts as a favor, arguing in court papers that she turned the device over only after receiving a subpoena last October. But her claims led to fresh embarrassment for Lively after revealed the subpoena had arisen from a 'sham' lawsuit filed by her company Vanzan against anonymous Does 1-10 which was dropped before the 37-year-old's sex assault case was filed. The revelation prompted a furious response from Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman who described the Vanzan suit as a 'sham'. 'Ms. Lively's and Mr. Reynolds' company Vanzan had nothing to do with this case and they knew it,' Freedman said in a statement. 'This sham lawsuit was designed to obtain subpoena power without oversight or scrutiny, and in doing so denied my clients the ability to contest the propriety, nature, and scope of the subpoena. '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.
Time of India
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Justin Baldoni's legal team slams Blake Lively-linked lawsuit as ‘a complete joke' used to access phone data
What started as a flashy PR dispute over the upcoming It Ends With Us film is now spiralling into a full-blown legal thriller, with accusations of secret lawsuits, stolen phone data, and a headline-grabbing cast that includes Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Justin Baldoni. Justin Baldoni sparks fresh allegations against Blake Lively Justin Baldoni has alleged that a lawsuit filed last year by a mysterious company called Vanzan was nothing more than a sham — staged by Lively's team to gain subpoena access to private data. The lawsuit, filed in September 2024 and dismissed just three months later, didn't name any defendants and was never assigned a judge — raising eyebrows among legal watchers. Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, claims the suit was crafted to appear legitimate but was designed purely to extract sensitive information from the confiscated phone of publicist Jennifer Abel, who had previously worked with Jonesworks — the PR firm at the centre of this drama. Freedman insists that Vanzan is closely tied to Lively and Reynolds, calling the idea they didn't know their own contractors 'a complete joke.' He accuses Jonesworks founder Stephanie Jones of misconduct and claims the entire operation was part of 'a much broader and more insidious scheme.' Jonesworks agency accused of misconduct At the heart of the allegations is Jonesworks, run by Stephanie Jones. The firm, once representing Baldoni, is now accused of unethical behaviour and manipulating legal channels. Freedman alleges Jones even warned an employee not to work with Abel, hinting her business 'wouldn't be around much longer' — on the very day the Vanzan lawsuit was filed. Lively's side fires back, calling claims 'desperate' Kristen Tahler, representing Jones and Jonesworks, has hit back hard, dismissing the new claims as weak and attention-seeking. She accused Baldoni's team of reversing course, offering no new evidence, and presenting 'a long and confusing statement' that reveals the cracks in their case. With a trial date set for March 2026 and a £320 million defamation suit in play, this once-private PR clash is now a full-blown legal spectacle. Baldoni's team vows to keep digging, saying the truth is only just beginning to surface.
Daily Mail
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE The truth about Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds' 'affair' - and the link to sham lawsuit behind war with Justin Baldoni
The company revealed to be at the center of Blake Lively 's nasty battle with Justin Baldoni has sparked a new round of internet rumors that she began her affair with Ryan Reynolds while he was still married. Its very name - Vanzan, a nod, internet sleuths believe, to their hometowns - and the fact that it was registered in California in September 2010, shortly after Lively and Reynolds met on the set of The Green Lantern, have set tongues wagging. At the time Reynolds was still married to Scarlett Johansson, although they filed for divorce that December. Lively would dump boyfriend Penn Badgley just a month after the company was formed. Zack Peter, who runs the popular celebrity gossip podcast No Filter, posted about the potential scandal in a video on Monday: 'It's been rumored that these two had an affair on the set of The Green Lantern, that's where they met. 'His social media handle is "Vancity", which is in reference to Vancouver, which is where he grew up. 'Could "Zan" be a reference to Tarzana, where she grew up?' asked Peter. Only a month after the company was founded, Lively broke it off with her Gossip Girl co-star Penn Badgley. A few months later, Reynolds and Johansson announced their divorce 'Ryan Reynolds isn't listed on this company but Eric Binder is. Eric Binder happens to be Ryan Reynolds' business manager.' 'Is it possible Blake and Ryan formed this company together in 2010 around when they met?' And does that mean the twosome - who officially began dating in 2011 - had actually close enough to make that kind of commitment? The answer is a resounding No. has discovered Lively only got involved with Vanzan several years after it was incorporated, according to a source formerly close to the original company. The source revealed the firm was controversial even back then, with a murky past filled with lawsuits and subpoenas. Vanzan was first set up in Delaware in 2008 – before Reynolds and Lively had even met – and first filed to do business in California in 2010. Its California filings listed Eric Rothchild as the agent for the firm, based in San Diego in 2010. A former colleague of Rothchild told they were there when Rothchild set it up, as a vehicle for their telesales and marketing business – and was shocked to hear of Lively and Reynolds' later links to the firm. 'I remember sitting around with Eric Rothchild when we came up with the name. We thought it sounded official and cool and old east coast money or whatever,' the source, who asked not to be named, told Rothchild and Vanzan later got caught up in a lawsuit for allegedly failing to follow through on an office lease, and were also sued by several other parties in San Diego courts in 2010 and 2011. One plaintiff, San Diego firm the Wafico Company, was awarded a $100,000 judgment against Vanzan in June 2011. Corporate filings in New York show there's another company in that state called 'Vanzan Inc.', set up in 2019 and registered at the Manhattan offices of Reynolds' business management firm, ML Management The source told that he believes the couple got involved later in the firm as 'no way in the world that any person with a brain' would involved its with the company who found itself in murky legal waters at the time - including this 2011 lawsuit One plaintiff, the San Diego-based firm Wafico Company, was awarded a $100,395 judgment against Vanzan in June 2011 after Vanzan failed to follow through on an office lease Rothchild filed for bankruptcy the following year. The source who worked with him said they later discovered that he had multiple names, including Brian Urquhart and Brian Knapp. The Federal Trade Commission also filed a civil case against Rothchild in 2010, saying he failed to comply with their subpoena investigating his company's alleged violations of consumer data laws. Now, years later, Vanzan has ended up at the center of another controversy involving a subpoena – when Lively used the company to file a lawsuit in September 2024 and obtain a subpoena to Baldoni's ex-publicist Stephanie Jones, thereby grabbing hundreds of texts used to back up her claim of an alleged smear campaign orchestrated by Baldoni. Baldoni denies the claims, and in return is suing Lively for defamation. The source who was involved with Vanzan in 2010 said Lively or Reynolds must have have become involved in a later reincarnation of the company, not associated with Rothchild or telesales. The copy of the case summons shows it was dated September 27, 2024, seven weeks after the It Ends With Us premiere 'The only way that Ryan Reynolds dude and Blake Lively could have any involvement is, the corporation could have expired and they could have just renamed it, or I suppose it's possible that they bought the existing corporation,' the source said. 'But there's no way in the world that any person with a brain would have wanted to buy that company with the legal s**t that was behind it.' Indeed, California records show Vanzan became inactive in 2013. The next public filing is in 2021, listing 'Blake Reynolds' (the actress's married name) as CEO, secretary and Chief Financial Officer and an address at the office of her husband's business management firm in New York. Corporate filings in New York show there is also a company in that state called 'Vanzan Inc.', set up in 2019 and registered at the Manhattan offices of Reynolds's business management firm, ML Management.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blake Lively made ‘super shady' legal move months before accusing Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment: report
Blake Lively reportedly filed a 'super shady' lawsuit before publicly accusing her 'It Ends With Us' co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment in her complaint. The lawsuit was filed in September with the 'Gossip Girl' alum's company Vanzan as the plaintiff in an attempt to subpoena allegedly incriminating text messages from Baldoni's now-ex-PR team without Lively's name being attached, according to the Daily Mail. The 'Jane the Virgin' alum's former publicist Stephanie Jones and her company, Jonesworks, received a subpoena requesting all documents and communications regarding Baldoni, Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. Jones reportedly turned over private messages between former staffer Jennifer Abel, who continued working with Baldoni, and PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan. The messages have since been used by Lively's legal team as the basis for claims that Baldoni, Nathan and Abel orchestrated a smear campaign against the 'Another Simple Favor' actress, 37, while promoting 'It Ends With Us' in August 2024. An alleged text from Nathan read, 'We can bury anyone.' The lawsuit, however, was withdrawn on Dec. 19, 2024, a few days before Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department. A legal expert referred to the tactic as 'super shady' while speaking to the Daily Mail. 'They intentionally did this to really work in a very surreptitious and clandestine way,' attorney Ron Zambrano, who has no relation to the case, claimed to the outlet. Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman also slammed the lawsuit as a 'sham' in a statement to Page Six. 'Ms. Lively's and Mr. Reynolds' company Vanzan had nothing to do with this case and they knew it,' Freedman said. 'This sham lawsuit was designed to obtain subpoena power without oversight or scrutiny, and in doing so denied my clients the ability to contest the propriety, nature, and scope of the subpoena. '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.' Lively's legal team, however, denied any wrongdoing. 'There is nothing untoward here — just conscientious and thorough investigation,' her attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb said in a statement to Deadline. 'The Lively parties acted upon reliable information, and employed common tools such as Doe lawsuits and civil subpoenas that are entirely lawful and appropriate for pursuing claims and uncovering the identity of unknown perpetrators of unlawful activities,' they continued. 'This lawsuit unearthed the Wayfarer Parties' documented plan — in their own words, in their own text messages — to 'destroy' Blake Lively, a plan which they executed without transparency, disclosure, or notice to Ms. Lively or the public, instead acting in a way they thought would be 'untraceable.' 'We have absolutely nothing to hide — Ms. Lively voluntarily disclosed the subpoena in her first filing knowing that it would ultimately be produced to the Wayfarer Parties in discovery, and that is precisely what will happen as Ms. Lively's claims move forward in the proper litigation process.' Reps for Lively and Baldoni weren't immediately available to Page Six for comment. The 'Age of Adaline' star filed her complaint on Dec. 21, 2024, accusing the actor/director of sexual harassment and attempting to ruin her career after their work on the adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel based on domestic violence. Lively filed a formal lawsuit on Dec. 31. Baldoni denied all the allegations against him. In January, he filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, 48, which the couple has attempted to get dismissed.
News.com.au
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Blake Lively made ‘super shady' legal move months before accusing Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment: report
Blake Lively reportedly filed a 'super shady' lawsuit before publicly accusing her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment in her complaint. The lawsuit was filed in September with the Gossip Girl star's company Vanzan as the plaintiff in an attempt to subpoena allegedly incriminating text messages from Baldoni's now-ex-PR team without Lively's name being attached, according to the Daily Mail. The Jane the Virgin star's former publicist Stephanie Jones and her company, Jonesworks, received a subpoena requesting all documents and communications regarding Baldoni, Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. Jones reportedly turned over private messages between former staffer Jennifer Abel, who continued working with Baldoni, and PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan. The messages have since been used by Lively's legal team as the basis for claims that Baldoni, Nathan and Abel orchestrated a smear campaign against the Another Simple Favour actress, 37, while promoting It Ends With Us in August 2024. An alleged text from Nathan read, 'We can bury anyone.' The lawsuit, however, was withdrawn on December 19, 2024, a few days before Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department. A legal expert referred to the tactic as 'super shady' while speaking to the Daily Mail. 'They intentionally did this to really work in a very surreptitious and clandestine way,' lawyer Ron Zambrano, who has no relation to the case, claimed to the outlet. Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman also slammed the lawsuit as a 'sham' in a statement to Page Six. 'Ms Lively's and Mr Reynolds' company Vanzan had nothing to do with this case and they knew it,' Freedman said. 'This sham lawsuit was designed to obtain subpoena power without oversight or scrutiny, and in doing so denied my clients the ability to contest the propriety, nature, and scope of the subpoena. 'There is nothing normal about this. Officers of the court have a duty of candour 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.'
