Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton<\/a><\/strong> is now at the center of Blake Lively<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s explosive legal war with her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni<\/a><\/strong>. The 47-year-old gossip personality, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, just appeared in court today after being subpoenaed by Lively, who accuses him of colluding with Baldoni to smear her reputation. The Blast was inside the courtroom with Perez Hilton following the proceedings as they unfolded.<\/p>\n Image courtesy of Nolen Ryan<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n According to court filings, Lively believes Hilton used his \u201csizable digital platform\u201d to aid Baldoni in a campaign of harassment and retaliation amid her ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit against the actor-director.<\/p>\n Lively argues Hilton does not \u201chold himself out as operating as an independent journalist, nor does he purport to follow any of the tenets of independent journalism.\u201d Instead, she claims his close ties to Baldoni\u2019s team, including previously being represented by Baldoni\u2019s attorney Bryan Freedman, raise questions about whether Hilton played a role in the alleged smear efforts.<\/p>\n Hilton, who founded his celebrity gossip site in 2004, has covered the bitter Lively vs. Baldoni saga extensively and was even featured in the recent documentary “In Dispute: Lively vs. Baldoni.” In a video to his followers, Hilton insisted he has nothing to hid. \u201cI take this very seriously\u2026 I have not been served a subpoena yet,” he previously said. “But I will comply with the law, and I have nothing to hide.\u201d<\/p>\n Hilton\u2019s lawyers previously filed a motion to quash the subpoena, but Lively\u2019s team hit back with a cross-motion to compel, setting the stage for today\u2019s courtroom showdown, where The Blast was present to bring exclusive updates.<\/p>\n Perez Hilton arrived in court Thursday without an attorney, saying he had poured \u201cdozens of hours\u201d into preparing for the hearing on his own. With a mix of humor and defiance, the longtime blogger previously quipped to The Blast,<\/a> \u201cI\u2019m in my Elle Woods era. I feel like Kim Kardashian studying to become a lawyer.\u201d He added that if he had retained his usual legal team, the bill would already be upwards of $50,000.<\/p>\n At the center of Hilton\u2019s objections is the scope of Blake Lively\u2019s subpoena, which demands records dating as far back as May 2024. Hilton contends that the request is far too broad and amounts to an effort to expose his confidential sources, protections that he notes are supposed to be safeguarded by federal laws.<\/p>\nPerez Hilton Dragged Into Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni Legal Battle<\/h2>\n
Perez Hilton Fights Back Against Broad Subpoena<\/h2>\n
Inside The Courtroom With Perez Hilton<\/h2>\n