Incident details
- Updated on
- Date of incident
- July 19, 2025
- Targets
- Perez Hilton (PerezHilton.com)
- Legal orders
-
-
subpoena
for
communications or work product
- July 19, 2025: Pending
- July 28, 2025: Objected to
- Sept. 12, 2025: Dropped
-
subpoena
for
communications or work product
- Legal order target
- Journalist
- Legal order venue
- Federal
Subpoena/Legal Order
A portion of a July 19, 2025, subpoena to commentator Perez Hilton under his legal name, Mario Lavandeira, from actor Blake Lively for communications with actor Justin Baldoni and his production company.
Blake Lively drops subpoena of celebrity commentator
Actor Blake Lively dropped her subpoena on Sept. 12, 2025, of commentator and gossip columnist Perez Hilton, issued from federal district court in New York, New York.
In July, Lively subpoenaed Hilton for communications with actor Justin Baldoni and his production company in her suit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment, retaliation and breach of contract.
Lively sought evidence of an agreement between Hilton and Baldoni for negative coverage of her on Hilton’s social media channels, part of a retaliatory publicity campaign she alleges Baldoni and his associates launched during the release of the movie “It Ends With Us” to prevent her from speaking out about their alleged misconduct on the set of the film.
Hilton filed a motion to quash the subpoena, arguing that he is protected by both the First Amendment and, as a Nevada resident, the state’s reporter’s shield law. At hearings in August and September, Hilton was ordered to compile a privilege log indicating how the information Lively had demanded was protected by reporter’s privilege.
But on Sept. 12, Lively notified the court that she had withdrawn the subpoena, having received the sought materials directly from the defendants.
In a celebratory announcement of the ruling on his YouTube channel, Hilton credited the ACLU of Nevada, which he said had agreed to represent him the day before and then called Lively’s attorneys to notify them.
“I know with every fiber of my being that if the ACLU had not agreed to represent me and did not call yesterday, today the subpoena would not have been withdrawn,” Hilton said.
“The ACLU of Nevada understood the real critical First Amendment issues at play here,” he said. “The ACLU of Nevada cares about protecting journalists in Nevada and about protecting everybody. Because if this went a bad way with the judge here in Las Vegas, it would have impacted not just reporters but also sources, everyday people, who want to hold powerful folks accountable.”
Commentator and gossip columnist Perez Hilton was subpoenaed on July 19, 2025, in a federal district court in New York, New York, by actor Blake Lively for communications with actor Justin Baldoni and his production company.
In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni, his company Wayfarer Studios and various associates for sexual harassment, retaliation and breach of contract. She alleges that the defendants launched a retaliatory publicity campaign during the release of the movie “It Ends With Us,” in which the two actors costarred and which Baldoni directed.
The campaign’s goal, according to the complaint, was to prevent Lively from speaking out about harassment and other misconduct by Baldoni and the CEO of Wayfarer on the set of the film.
In January, Baldoni filed his own claims against Lively, accusing her of extortion and defamation. Those claims were dismissed in June.
Hilton has posted extensive coverage, on both his site PerezHilton.com and on YouTube, about the legal fight between Lively and Baldoni.
On July 19, Lively subpoenaed Hilton under his legal name Mario Lavandeira, demanding any communications with Baldoni and his associates about Lively and the film and any evidence of an agreement with the defendants about related coverage on his social media channels.
Lively argues that the defendants coordinated with content creators to distribute “negative and derogatory content about Ms. Lively and her family.”
Hilton filed a motion to quash the subpoena on July 28, arguing that he is protected by both the First Amendment and, as a Nevada resident, the state’s reporter’s shield law.
In his filing, Hilton called the subpoena “a fishing expedition that chills journalistic freedom.”
“I anticipate that the subpoenaing party may attempt to characterize me as merely a ‘content creator’ or social media personality,” Hilton wrote. “That framing is inaccurate and misleading. I am a journalist — a globally recognized one — with a decades-long track record of reporting on matters of public interest.”
“For the record, I have not been paid by Justin Baldoni. I have not been paid by any of the Wayfarer defendants. I have not been paid by anyone to cover this litigation,” he added.
Hilton also requested that the court enter a protective order requiring Lively to request permission before issuing any more subpoenas to third parties. Lively has also subpoenaed at least one other online commentator directly, and subpoenaed Google for 16 content creators’ account information.
“I will not be deterred from doing my job by her harassment,” Hilton told the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker via email.
Lively’s attorneys did not respond to a request for comment from the Tracker.
The U.S. Press Freedom Tracker catalogues press freedom violations in the United States. Email tips to [email protected].
