Welcome back to Gavel and Gossip! This week, we dive into the chaotic world of pro pers (self-represented litigants) in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni case, focusing on celebrity blogger Perez Hilton.
Lively's team served Hilton with a subpoena for documents because the TAG (PR) defense identified him as a witness they communicated with about Baldoni. This communication was also in writing, and we discuss the text message identifying Hilton as someone they could work with because he shares the same attorney as Justin Baldoni. We also discuss how, despite his claims, subpoenaing his records is a normal legal step.
We then discuss the various letters and motions filed by Hilton, including his request to quash the subpoena and his arguments that he is a journalist whose sources were privileged and that he was "not a party" (which is, of course, the point of a subpoena!). We then read his federal court filings and discuss if he turned the federal court into a spectacle because of the rude letters where he accused the judge of being biased and the court of being a "circus," using demeaning nicknames for Lively and her counsel. This forced the judge to issue an order condemning the language used by Hilton (and the other pro per).
Finally, we discuss why Hilton did not need to produce any documents and why, despite his claims of bias, the New York judge ultimately sided with Hilton (and no, it wasn't his amazing legal writing)!
The information provided in this podcast is for informational and entertainment purposes only. The content should not be construed as legal advice or any lawyer-client relationship. The information is not a substitute for professional legal counsel. These are just our opinions!
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