Blake Lively vs Justin Baldoni: Actress subpoenas Perez Hilton, Candace Owens, and Andy Signore in 'It Ends With Us' legal battle
In a significant development in her ongoing legal battle against It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni , actress Blake Lively has reportedly issued subpoenas to content creators Perez Hilton, Candace Owens, and Andy Signore as she seeks to prove claims of an alleged online smear campaign.
According to a report by TMZ, citing sources familiar with the case, Lively’s legal team believes these individuals may possess information relevant to her accusation against Baldoni and the alleged 'orchestrated' smear campaign to damage her reputation.
Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni earlier this year, accusing him of sexual harassment and professional retaliation, allegations that Baldoni has vehemently denied. Her complaint also accuses the actor-director and his team of planting and amplifying damaging content across social media and digital platforms. According to court filings, Lively’s legal team claimed that Baldoni’s team adopted a strategy that saw The Wayfarer team seed social media content with content creators, on online chat sites like Reddit, and into publications with small audiences and lax editorial standards. They allege that "The team would then ‘amplify’ that content by sharing it with larger outlets to increase negative sentiment toward Ms. Lively."
Candace Owens, responded publicly to the alleged subpoenas and said in a statement to PEOPLE, “Given the fact that I have not received any subpoena yet, I appreciate Blake’s team leaking this to TMZ to alert me to it. And, of course, I have not the slightest idea what I am being subpoenaed for, as I knew none of these parties when their respective lawsuits were filed. But stay tuned, and I’ll let audiences know on my podcast.”
Perez, a longtime celebrity blogger, has covered the Lively vs. Baldoni case extensively and even appears in the recent documentary 'In Dispute: Lively vs. Baldoni'. Notably, Hilton was once represented by Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman.
Andy Signore, known for his YouTube channel covering celebrity legal drama, has also reportedly made it on the subpoena list. In one of his videos, Signore published what he described as an "exclusive" statement from Freedman—before major news outlets had reported it.
Baldoni’s legal team has pushed back against the accusations, arguing that any backlash against Lively during the It Ends With Us promotional cycle in August 2024 was the result of organic public reaction, not a coordinated smear effort. “The negative press was of Ms. Lively’s own making,” Baldoni's representatives have stated.
According to a report by TMZ, citing sources familiar with the case, Lively’s legal team believes these individuals may possess information relevant to her accusation against Baldoni and the alleged 'orchestrated' smear campaign to damage her reputation.
Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni earlier this year, accusing him of sexual harassment and professional retaliation, allegations that Baldoni has vehemently denied. Her complaint also accuses the actor-director and his team of planting and amplifying damaging content across social media and digital platforms. According to court filings, Lively’s legal team claimed that Baldoni’s team adopted a strategy that saw The Wayfarer team seed social media content with content creators, on online chat sites like Reddit, and into publications with small audiences and lax editorial standards. They allege that "The team would then ‘amplify’ that content by sharing it with larger outlets to increase negative sentiment toward Ms. Lively."
Candace Owens, responded publicly to the alleged subpoenas and said in a statement to PEOPLE, “Given the fact that I have not received any subpoena yet, I appreciate Blake’s team leaking this to TMZ to alert me to it. And, of course, I have not the slightest idea what I am being subpoenaed for, as I knew none of these parties when their respective lawsuits were filed. But stay tuned, and I’ll let audiences know on my podcast.”
Perez, a longtime celebrity blogger, has covered the Lively vs. Baldoni case extensively and even appears in the recent documentary 'In Dispute: Lively vs. Baldoni'. Notably, Hilton was once represented by Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman.
Andy Signore, known for his YouTube channel covering celebrity legal drama, has also reportedly made it on the subpoena list. In one of his videos, Signore published what he described as an "exclusive" statement from Freedman—before major news outlets had reported it.
Baldoni’s legal team has pushed back against the accusations, arguing that any backlash against Lively during the It Ends With Us promotional cycle in August 2024 was the result of organic public reaction, not a coordinated smear effort. “The negative press was of Ms. Lively’s own making,” Baldoni's representatives have stated.
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