Blake Lively reportedly obtains PR texts exposing Justin Baldoni's smear campaign via legal subpoena

Blake Lively’s complaint accuses Justin Baldoni of harassment and toxicity on It Ends With Us, he denies allegations.

Blake Lively's legal team has reportedly acquired text messages from Justin Baldoni's PR team, which are claimed to be evidence of a smear campaign against her. According to the Daily Mail, legal experts are intrigued by the fact that these messages were allegedly obtained without a lawsuit being filed.

The Gossip Girl star's attorneys stated that additional details about "Ms. Lively's investigation, including the lawful subpoena, will be produced during discovery."

The text messages were disclosed as part of Blake Lively's legal complaint earlier this month, where she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a toxic work environment during the production of their recent film, It Ends With Us. Baldoni has denied all allegations made by Lively.

In addition to Baldoni, his company Wayfarer Studios, and PR professionals Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel are facing a separate lawsuit. Stephanie Jones, who leads Jonesworks PR, has accused them of defamation and breach of contract.

Blake Lively's legal team alleges that the text messages outlined in her complaint "demonstrate a multi-tiered plan that Mr. Baldoni and his team described as 'social manipulation' designed to 'destroy' Ms. Lively's reputation." Although Lively has not yet filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, her state civil rights complaint from earlier this month is speculated to be a "precursor to a lawsuit."

The Daily Mail reports that some legal experts believe the subpoena mentioned by Lively's team could be a "friendly subpoena," where one party seeks records from another while allowing them to appear as if they were compelled by a court order, even if they volunteered the information.

James Spertus, a former federal prosecutor and West LA litigator, told the LA Times on Sunday that the subpoena was "most likely" issued in a separate case and "then used in this one."

Regardless of the origin of the text messages, they have been disclosed by both Lively and Stephanie Jones, according to the LA Times.