Blake Lively‘s legal team plans to subpoena Scooter Braun and HYBE after Justin Baldoni's lawsuit was dismissed by judge

Blake Lively and her legal team are zeroing in on Scooter Braun and HYBE following her victory against Justin Baldoni, whose lawsuit against her was thrown out by a judge.

Several outlets have reported that the Gossip Girl alum's team has subpoenaed Braun and his company, so as to collect any documentation or relevant information they might have relating to Melissa Nathan and her work with Baldoni.

Nathan, a PR staffer, has been named as a co-defender in Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni, where she stands accused of orchestrating a smear campaign against her for the Jane the Virgin alum. Lively's lawsuit contends that Melissa Nathan's crisis PR firm tarnished her public standing in retaliation for speaking out against Baldoni's alleged s*xual harassment.

Scooter Braun was subpoenaed due to his involvement in the American branch of HYBE, which is a South Korean media company, and its majority stake in The Agency Group (TAG), a crisis PR firm owned by Nathan. Hola! has also reported that Lively is attempting to uncover the extent of Nathan and Braun’s involvement, with an alleged text from the former that said:

“At least they didn’t mention Scooter.”

E! News has reported that Blake Lively is accusing Nathan, Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios, as well as publicist Jennifer Abel, of engaging in a "social manipulation" campaign to "destroy" her public reputation. Their actions, in turn, allegedly had a negative impact on her business and caused her family "severe emotional distress."

In a statement shared with The New York Times, Lively said:

“I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”

The latest developments in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's ongoing legal struggles explored:

Just two days ago, a judge tossed Justin Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Lively, 37, on the grounds that her s*xual harassment claims bore legal merit and were therefore immune to any lawsuit. Ryan Reynolds and Sloane, their publicist, were also named in the lawsuit, alongside The New York Times.

The judge also dismissed the claims against the news outlet, which Justin Baldoni sued for its reporting of the ongoing case back in December, on the grounds that there was nothing unfair about it.

Blake Lively's lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, issued a celebratory statement, referring to the decision as a "total victory and a complete vindication" for their client and the others whom "Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit."

"As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it," they said, adding that they "look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages" from the Wayfarer parties, whom they say "perpetrated this abusive litigation.”

Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, however, is pushing back, according to People Magazine. He called Blake Lively and her legal counsel's "predictable declaration of victory false." Speaking with TMZ Live, he said:

"I think that [Justin is] a person who wants to be vindicated, and that's all that he cares about." He added, "He knows who he is. He knows what he's done. He knows what he hasn't done. And he wants the truth to come out, and he wants to do that in the appropriate way. ... He's waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth."

Freedman also noted that they would be deposing Blake Lively soon.

“This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively’s own team conveniently describes as ‘untraceable’ because they cannot prove what never happened,” he told E! News in a statement. “Most importantly, Ms. Lively’s own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking.”

Nonetheless, Blake Lively herself took to Instagram to celebrate, as she penned a post coupled with links to women’s rights organizations:

“While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back. I’m more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves," it read.

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Blake Lively's subpoenas could uncover crucial details about the alleged smear campaign, which could, in turn, shape the highly publicized case. The trial has been set for March 9, 2026.

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