The ongoing legal battle between actors Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has taken another dramatic turn with the latest response to newly issued subpoenas. On Friday, February 14th, Baldoni’s attorney, Mitchell Schuster, filed a formal letter addressing the recent demands for extensive mobile records and personal data.
In the letter directed to U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, Schuster described the requests as “flagrantly overbroad” and strongly opposed the submission of years’ worth of mobile communication records. The legal counsel emphasized that the scope of the demands far exceeded what was necessary for the case at hand.
Schuster noted that Baldoni’s legal team had made genuine efforts to reach a compromise with Lively’s representatives. However, these attempts proved unsuccessful, prompting the request for judicial intervention to resolve the matter swiftly.
“It is hard to overstate how broad, invasive, and atypical these subpoenas truly are,” Schuster wrote in the letter. He further highlighted the disparity between the current civil case and a criminal investigation, stating, “This is civil litigation, not a criminal prosecution, and the Lively Parties [Lively and Reynolds] are not the FBI.”
The requested records reportedly encompass communications with family, friends, business partners, and numerous third parties. Schuster argued that the nature and volume of the requested data were wildly disproportionate to the case’s requirements and posed significant privacy concerns for individuals not directly involved in the dispute.
The controversy traces back to allegations made by Lively, who accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating an uncomfortable work environment during the production of It Ends with Us. The two co-stars, once seemingly amicable colleagues, are now embroiled in a high-profile courtroom conflict that has garnered considerable media attention.
Legal analysts suggest that the case underscores broader concerns about privacy boundaries in civil litigation, particularly in high-profile cases involving public figures. With both sides firmly entrenched in their positions, the upcoming trial promises to be a closely watched event.
The trial is scheduled to commence on March 9th, 2026, and observers anticipate further legal maneuvers from both parties as the date approaches.