NEED TO KNOW
-
On June 9, the judge overseeing Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle granted Marvel Entertainment LLC’s request to quash a subpoena issued by Baldoni’s lawyers
-
The actor-director’s legal team previously sent a litigation hold letter to Marvel, demanding that it keep documents that mention Baldoni for potential use in his ongoing fight with Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, who worked on the Marvel movie Deadpool & Wolverine
-
Earlier on June 9, the same judge dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist, making Baldoni’s subpoena to Marvel “no longer relevant”
Marvel’s request to be removed from the ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has been granted, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.
On Monday, June 9, U.S. District Court judge Lewis J. Liman granted Marvel Entertainment, LLC’s request for a court order to “quash the subpoena issued to Marvel from [Baldoni’s] Wayfarer Parties and for a protective order prohibiting the disclosure of Marvel’s confidential documents.”
Marvel Entertainment, LLC first submitted the letter to Judge Liman in the Southern District of New York on April 25.
Baldoni’s legal team had requested to access communications concerning the Nicepool character introduced in Deadpool & Wolverine, written by and starring Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds. The request was made in an attempt to argue the character was used to “bully” Baldoni, as the It Ends with Us director-actor’s legal battle responding to costar Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation claims advanced.
Mike Marsland/WireImage; James Devaney/GC Images
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories.
Baldoni’s lawyers sent Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger the litigation hold letter on Jan. 7, demanding that they hold onto documents that mention Baldoni for potential use in court.
Baldoni’s legal team was looking for documents “relating to or reflecting a deliberate attempt to mock, harass, ridicule, intimidate or bully” the Jane the Virgin alum “through the character of Nicepool,” among other subjects.
Disney/Marvel
Ryan Reynolds as Nicepool in “Deadpool and Wolverine”
Baldoni denied Lively’s allegations and countersued the actress, 37, Reynolds, 48, the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR, Inc., for $400 million, alleging defamation, civil extortion and more.
Earlier Monday, Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit (but said he can still amend some claims by June 23 if he wishes to proceed). Because of the dismissal, “the information sought [from Marvel] is no longer relevant to a claim or defense in this action,” Liman wrote.
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman did not respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Monday.
Baldoni’s suit was in response to Lively’s lawsuit over his alleged harassment. The actress still seeks unspecified triple and punitive damages. A trial date for their case, Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al., has been set for March 2026.
Read the original article on People
