Blake Lively reportedly filed a “super shady” lawsuit before publicly accusing her “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment in her complaint.

The lawsuit was filed in September with the “Gossip Girl” alum’s company Vanzan as the plaintiff in an attempt to subpoena allegedly incriminating text messages from Baldoni’s now-ex PR team without Lively’s name being attached, according to the Daily Mail.

The “Jane the Virgin” alum’s former publicist Stephanie Jones and her company, Jonesworks, received a subpoena requesting all documents and communications regarding Baldoni, Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

Jones reportedly turned over private messages between former staffer Jennifer Abel, who continued working with Baldoni, and PR crisis manager Melissa Nathan.

The messages have since been used by Lively’s legal team as the basis for claims that Baldoni, Nathan and Abel orchestrated a smear campaign against the “Another Simple Favor” actress, 37, while promoting “It Ends With Us” in August 2024.

An alleged text from Nathan read, “We can bury anyone.”

The lawsuit, however, was withdrawn on Dec. 19, 2024, a few days before Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department.

A legal expert referred to the tactic as “super shady” while speaking to the Daily Mail. “They intentionally did this to really work in a very surreptitious and clandestine way,” attorney Ron Zambrano, who has no relation to the case, claimed to the outlet.

Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman also slammed the lawsuit as a “sham” in a statement to Page Six.

“Ms. Lively’s and Mr. Reynolds’ company Vanzan had nothing to do with this case and they knew it,” Freedman said.

“This sham lawsuit was designed to obtain subpoena power without oversight or scrutiny, and in doing so denied my clients the ability to contest the propriety, nature, and scope of the subpoena.

“There is nothing normal about this. Officers of the court have a duty of candor to the court and an obligation not to file fictitious lawsuits that have no basis in fact or law. … This was done in bad faith and constitutes a flagrant abuse of process.”

Lively’s legal team, however, denied any wrongdoing.

“There is nothing untoward here — just conscientious and thorough investigation,” her attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb said in a statement to Deadline.

“The Lively parties acted upon reliable information, and employed common tools such as Doe lawsuits and civil subpoenas that are entirely lawful and appropriate for pursuing claims and uncovering the identity of unknown perpetrators of unlawful activities,” they continued.

“This lawsuit unearthed the Wayfarer Parties’ documented plan — in their own words, in their own text messages — to ‘destroy’ Blake Lively, a plan which they executed without transparency, disclosure, or notice to Ms. Lively or the public, instead acting in a way they thought would be ‘untraceable.’

“We have absolutely nothing to hide — Ms. Lively voluntarily disclosed the subpoena in her first filing knowing that it would ultimately be produced to the Wayfarer Parties in discovery, and that is precisely what will happen as Ms. Lively’s claims move forward in the proper litigation process.”

Reps for Lively and Baldoni weren’t immediately available to Page Six for comment.

The “Age of Adaline” star filed her complaint on Dec. 21, 2024, accusing the actor/director of sexual harassment and attempting to ruin her career after their work on the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel based on domestic violence.

Lively filed a formal lawsuit on Dec. 31. Baldoni denied all the allegations against him.

In January, he filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, 48, which the couple has attempted to get dismissed.

• Frankie Muniz shared that he’s at a “new low” mentally and emotionally in a post on X
• The Malcolm in the Middle alum-turned-NASCAR driver had a challenging race on April 18, where his power steering line burst
• He said he’s “oddly cursed” but was thankful for his team, saying, “They’re sticking with me”

Frankie Muniz is at a “new low” mentally and emotionally, amid setbacks in his recent races.

“If I’m being 100% honest… Mentally/emotionally I may be at a new low. Just wanted to say it out loud,” the former Malcolm in the Middle star — and now NASCAR driver — shared in an April 21 post on X.

While racing in the April 18 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina, Muniz, 39, had technical difficulties early on that derailed him.

“My power steering line burst, so I lost power steering,” he said in a post-race interview with Peter Stratta. “I ripped a hole in my hand [turning the wheel].” 

He called trying to steer “the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” and the setback left him essentially out of the race, Muniz explained, saying he’s “oddly cursed or something.”

Since Feb. 14, when he finished 10th at Daytona, Muniz has struggled to finish above 21st place.

“Our goal is always top 20,” he told Stratta. “I’ve had bad luck for almost two years straight.”

Still, he praised his team, saying, “I really love them … They’re sticking with me, and I hope the fans do, too. I hope they don’t turn on me.”

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He continued, “How many times can I say, ‘Wow, I got bad luck,’ “ sharing that his “super supportive” wife, Paige Muniz has said, “‘Maybe it’s you, like, maybe you’re just not good.’ “

“So I hope people see that. I mean, people are going to say what they do, but you know we’re trying really hard.”

“I think at first, maybe people thought [racing] was like a hobby,” Muniz recently told PEOPLE.

“Then to have an actor jump in, it probably is a little odd. I get that,” Muniz shared. “But you earn respect or the recognition as a driver and not just as an actor when you’re out there competing and beating them, right? That’s what I’m trying to do.” 

Meghan Markle’s in some hot water again, this time, it’s over an animated show on Netflix. British author Mel Elliott claims the network pulled the plug on Markel’s show after receiving a legal letter pointing out “striking similarities” to her own children’s books, after she raised concerns about potential plagiarism. Elliott believes that “Pearl” was canceled due to “budget cuts” just months after her letter was sent, and she’s hoping she played a role in that outcome. Watch the video to learn more.

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