YouTuber accuses Blake Lively of legal harassment and seeks court protection over Justin Baldoni lawsuit

Highlights:

• YouTuber Lauren Neidigh accuses Blake Lively of harassment and seeks a court-issued protective order.
• Lively’s team dropped subpoenas against Neidigh and others but left the door open to reissue them.
• Neidigh says Lively’s actions were meant to silence critics amid her ongoing legal dispute with Justin Baldoni.
• Lively's spokesperson insists the subpoenas were standard legal tools, not attempts to intimidate.

A YouTuber has formally accused actress Blake Lively of harassment and intimidation, requesting a protective order after Lively's legal team subpoenaed her amid an ongoing federal lawsuit involving actor-director Justin Baldoni.

Lauren Neidigh, known online as LethalLauren904, filed a statement to the court on 28 July, alleging that Lively’s actions were designed to suppress online criticism through legal pressure. The dispute stems from Lively’s broader legal battle with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, in which she has accused him of sexual harassment.

U.S. judge rules Blake Lively’s harassment claims were legally protected speech Getty Images

Why did Blake Lively subpoena YouTubers?

Lively’s legal team had subpoenaed Neidigh and two other content creators, McKenzie Folks and Kassidy O’Connell, seeking personal data including banking information. The subpoenas were dropped shortly afterward, but not before triggering concerns among the creators.

Neidigh claims the move was an act of intimidation, writing in her letter to the court: “The subpoena targeted creators who expressed unfavourable opinions about Lively. It was not supported by any evidence and was intended to chill constitutionally protected speech.”

Despite withdrawing the subpoenas, Lively’s team has not ruled out the possibility of reissuing them, which Neidigh argues creates an “undue burden” and ongoing fear of retaliation.

What does the protective order request include?

In her formal plea, Neidigh has asked the court to issue a protective order to prevent Lively from issuing any further subpoenas against her or other online creators. She has also called for sanctions against the Gossip Girl star’s legal team, citing emotional distress and the invasion of privacy.

She wrote that Lively’s lawyers were “largely unresponsive” to her requests for clarification about why her personal and financial information was needed in the first place. “This was a clear misuse of legal tools to target critics,” she argued.

What’s the background on the Lively-Baldoni legal battle?

The drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni began in December 2024 when Lively filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni, who directed and starred alongside her in It Ends With Us. In January 2025, she officially sued him.

Baldoni, in turn, countersued for defamation, but that case was dismissed in June. Lively’s case continues, with depositions already underway. Last week, she sat for questioning at her lawyer’s New York City office, reportedly with Baldoni present.

Lively has publicly spoken about the ordeal, telling Late Night With Seth Meyers in May that “fear is, by design, meant to keep us silent,” in reference to coming forward with her claims.

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's It Ends With Us feud takes a new digital turnGetty Images

Has Blake Lively responded to the harassment claims?

A spokesperson for Lively clarified that the subpoenas were not accusations, but standard legal procedures to obtain admissible evidence. “There is no attempt to silence anyone,” the rep told Us Weekly, “This is about uncovering a coordinated media campaign designed to discredit Ms. Lively.”

The representative also claimed that Baldoni’s PR team planned an “untraceable” smear campaign after Lively’s allegations surfaced, adding that subpoenas to social media platforms are helping to “connect the evidentiary dots.”

Lively claims the lawsuit has deeply affected her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and their four children Getty Images

What’s next in the case?

While the subpoenas against Neidigh and other creators have been withdrawn for now, the legal clash is far from over. Lively continues to gather evidence, and the case is scheduled for trial on 9 March 2026.

Meanwhile, Baldoni and his wife Emily have stayed out of the spotlight, aside from a quiet family holiday earlier this year. Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, however, have made multiple public appearances in recent months.

The fallout from this legal battle is increasingly drawing in public figures, influencers, and online commentators, turning a private dispute into a digital firestorm with potential implications for free speech and creator safety.