Perez Hilton, known for his celebrity gossip articles and videos, was in federal court in Las Vegas Thursday as he faces a subpoena in the legal drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
Lively’s lawyers are demanding Hilton release documents and evidence related to articles he wrote about her, alleging he was part of a smear campaign related to the “It Ends With Us” co-stars.
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira Jr., is representing himself in court. He denied the allegations from Lively’s team.
“I was not paid by anyone to speak negatively about Blake Lively, I was not told to speak negatively about her, I was not promised any favors or discounts or anything,” Hilton said.
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The court hearing focused on whether the case should be transferred to a New York judge handling related proceedings.
Hilton has filed a motion to quash the subpoena, arguing it infringes on free speech and journalistic protections.
“As a journalist, I will continue to protect my sources,” he said.
During court, Hilton spoke about shield laws, which protect journalists and their sources. Nevada is known for having some of the strongest protections in the country.
In New York, the law only offers qualified privilege, which means a court can compel disclosure of nonconfidential, unpublished information if the party seeking it can meet a specific legal test.
Hilton expressed concern about the potential transfer, saying, “The judge in New York is biased in [Lively’s] favor, therefore I am 99% sure that judge will rule he has jurisdiction over me.”
When Hilton was served the subpoena, he filed for a protective order in New York. He says he’s a single father of three and was concerned for his children’s safety, citing events that happened to other people and children involved in the lawsuit.
He specifically brought up Wayfarer cofounder Steve Sarowitz and the alleged arson attack he faced. Sarowitz cofounded Wayfarer with Baldoni and is also named in the lawsuit.
“It wasn’t me being this gossip blogger, this celebrity reporter that’s being dramatic. No, it was a real risk that as a good father I tried to mitigate,” he said.
The judge announced he would await a decision on jurisdiction from a federal court in New York. If the case is transferred, Hilton plans to appeal. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Tuesday, September 2.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source news3lv.com ’
