Blake Lively‘s legal team has publicly criticized Justin Baldoni’s representatives, alleging they used auto-deleting messaging platforms to hide evidence. The 41-year-old actor and director, along with Wayfarer Studios and their public relations group, reportedly communicated through the Signal app, which automatically erases messages, complicating document disclosure in the lawsuit. This Blake Lively lawsuit update highlights growing tensions as discovery progresses in the New York City legal battle.
Allegations of Evidence Obstruction and Concealment
Blake’s attorneys from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips and Willkie Farr & Gallagher noted repeated failures by the defendants to provide necessary documents during the discovery phase. They stated,
“Defendants have hid the ball at every turn in the discovery process, either failing to produce documents, or improperly cloaking them in the attorney-client privilege, forcing no less than twelve discovery-related motions to date against Defendants and their aligned third parties,”
drawing attention to persistent legal hurdles.
Additional filings from Jonesworks LLC, a co-defendant, reinforce these accusations. They claim that Baldoni’s team employed Signal, voice memos, and other technologies to evade potential court orders by destroying or failing to preserve relevant communications in real time.
Covert Smear Campaign and Secret Communications Revealed
Jonesworks LLC’s attorneys allege that shortly after Blake Lively initiated the lawsuit, individuals including Jennifer Abel and Bryan Freedman orchestrated social media messaging efforts aimed at promoting Justin Baldoni and disparaging Lively. As their lead counsel stated,
“Evidence only recently produced reveals that, soon after Lively initiated this action, [Jennifer] Abel, along with [Bryan] Freedman and others, were actively directing social-media messaging intended to promote Baldoni and disparage Lively,”
suggesting a coordinated response behind the scenes.
Kristin Tahler, the chief attorney for Jonesworks LLC, further accused Abel of conspiring with Nathan, Baldoni, and Wayfarer to silently carry out the smear campaign. She explained,
Image of: Blake Lively
“Jen Abel conspired with Melissa Nathan, Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer to orchestrate a smear campaign and she did it in secret, outside of Joneworks and behind Stephanie Jones’ back. Conversations were moved to an auto-deleting platform and evidence was destroyed. There can be only one reason for this. They had something to hide and wanted to make sure it would never be discovered.”
Blake Lively’s Team Highlights Defendants’ Court Order Violations
In a recent memorandum, Blake’s lawyers emphasized that despite the defendants’ attempts to conceal their actions, evidence confirms the retaliatory campaign went forward as intended. They asserted,
“Now that the dust has settled, and fact discovery and depositions have closed, two things are clear: (1) despite Defendants’ clumsy efforts to cover their tracks, there is substantial evidence that the retaliatory campaign was, in fact, implemented as planned, and (2) Defendants flouted this Court’s orders, and destroyed and/or failed to preserve or produce additional material and highly relevant evidence, the absence of which they intend to try to unjustly exploit in their favor.”
Earlier in October, Blake’s team also responded firmly to extortion allegations made by Justin Baldoni’s former agent, maintaining their position as the litigation moves toward trial.
Next Steps for the Case
The lawsuit involving Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is expected to proceed to trial in New York City, with court dates anticipated in March 2026. As tensions rise around evidence preservation and alleged smear tactics, the outcome could significantly impact reputations and legal precedents concerning digital communications in high-profile disputes.
