Blake Lively is taking a significant step in her ongoing lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, the director and co-star of her film It Ends With Us.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Lively’s legal team has subpoenaed Scooter Braun, CEO of Hybe America, and the company itself, in an effort to gather more information about Melissa Nathan, a crisis PR veteran who was brought in to represent Baldoni.
Lively’s lawsuit alleges that Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer retaliated against her by weaponising social media after she raised claims of sexual harassment.
Braun’s entry into the case comes just two days after a federal judge granted a motion to dismiss Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and others.
Braun’s connection to the case stems from Hybe Corp.’s investment stake in The Agency Group (TAG), the publicity firm founded by Nathan. Braun and Baldoni have been friendly in the past, and the two have spoken together on a podcast about the #MeToo movement.
Lively’s legal team appears to be attempting to gather further information regarding Nathan’s involvement in the case. The subpoenas suggest that Lively’s team is looking into potential connections between Braun, Hybe America, and Nathan’s work with Baldoni.
The case has also drawn in Taylor Swift, a longtime friend of Lively’s, who gave permission to use one of her songs in Lively’s cut of the film. Swift also faced the prospect of having to testify regarding her role in supporting Lively’s script changes to the movie’s opening scene.
While Lively’s legal team declared the recent ruling a “total victory,” the judge did leave the door open for Wayfarer and Baldoni’s legal team to file an amended lawsuit relating to limited contractual obligations.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said that “while the Court dismissed the defamation related claims, the Court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations.”
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