Plaintiffs Appeal Blake Lively Lawsuits
Two plaintiffs appeal their judge’s decisions in their respective Blake Lively lawsuits tied to the Lively v Baldoni legal battle. (I introduced the Blake Lively–Justin Baldoni legal drama here a few months ago.)
FLORIDA: Popcorned Planet, Inc v Blake Lively
In the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA, TAMPA DIVISION, Popcorned Planet, Inc. filed a notice of appeal on December 11, 2025, after the court denied its motion to quash.
I started watching Andy Signore from Popcorned Planet on YouTube, in the summer of 2024.
Popcorned Planet is where I initially learned about the Depp v Herd trial held in Virginia in 2022. It is also where I was introduced to Kjersti Flaa and the Blake Lively interview that made her want to quit her job.
On July 2, 2025, Blake Lively issued a subpoena to Popcorned Planet, requesting the production of documents in connection with her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, et al.
Three weeks later Popcorned Planet, Inc., a non-party to the Blake Lively lawsuit, filed a motion to quash that subpoena. They argued “the subpoena impermissibly seeks disclosure of privileged materials” and “imposes an undue burden on Popcorned Planet“.
NOTE: Documents in the Popcorned Planet Inc v Lively case are filed on the Florida (Middle District) court docket for public view.
Following the judge’s December denial to quash, Popcorned Planet issued the following press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Florida Judge Rules Against Independent Journalism for Celebrity Blake Lively
Tampa, Florida — In a ruling that has alarmed digital media experts and First Amendment advocates, a federal magistrate judge in the Middle District of Florida has denied journalist protections to Andy Signore—founder of the independent news network Popcorned Planet—solely because his reporting appears on YouTube rather than in traditional corporate media.
Judge Lindsay S. Griffin ruled that Signore, despite hosting a daily investigative news platform with nearly one million subscribers, does not qualify as a journalist under Florida’s reporter’s privilege statute. As a result, he has been ordered to turn over private communications with sources related to the high-profile Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni legal case—communications shared in confidence by whistleblowers fearing retaliation in Hollywood.
“This ruling is a chilling attack on independent journalism,” Signore said. “It suggests that unless you work for a newspaper or legacy media corporation, you have no right to protect your sources. That is not only wrong—it endangers every whistleblower, content creator, podcaster, and independent reporter working today.”
Throughout the case, the magistrate judge accepted sealed claims from Lively’s legal team at face value while dismissing Signore’s sworn testimony. By doing so, the court effectively created a two-tiered system of press rights: one for corporate media, and one for independent journalists who operate on modern platforms such as YouTube, podcasts, or online publications.
Legal analysts warn that if allowed to stand, this ruling could erode long-established reporter protections and discourage insiders from coming forward—particularly in industries like entertainment, where pressure and retaliation are common.
Signore’s legal team is preparing to appeal directly to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, bypassing further proceedings in the Middle District of Florida. A petition to the U.S. Supreme Court remains possible depending on the outcome.
“Independent journalism is not the fringe—it is the future,” Signore added. “Millions rely on digital reporters for honest coverage that isn’t filtered through studios, publicists, or corporate interests. If the courts erase our protections, powerful people will be able to silence inconvenient reporting with a single subpoena.”
To support the appeal, Signore has launched a new public campaign to raise a legal war chest for what will be a significant and costly fight to defend the rights of modern journalists.
https://www.givesendgo.com/blakeappeal
ABOUT POPCORNED PLANET
Popcorned Planet is a rapidly growing independent news network on YouTube with nearly 1 million subscribers, focusing on investigative reporting, legal analysis, and entertainment industry accountability. The platform hosts attorneys, experts, and insiders, and is producing the upcoming documentary It Ends With Justice.
TEXAS: Jed Wallace v Blake Lively
In the UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, AUSTIN DIVISION Jed Wallace, and his Crisis PR company, Street Relations, Inc. filed a notice of appeal. This was after the court granted Blake Lively‘s motion to dismiss her from the Wallace v Lively lawsuit that commenced in February 2025.
According to the initial complaint, filed for Declaratory Judgment and Defamation, the suit was launched after Jed Wallace and his company, were named in a private complaint of Employment Discrimination before the state of California Civil Rights Department (CRD). This was then publicized through the NY Times.
The CRD complaint was filed by Blake Lively and alleged that Jed & his Crisis PR company were included with other respondents who “engaged in a variety of conduct in violation of California Government Code section 12940 (“the FEHA”) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (“Title VII”)”.
More specifically, the precursor to the complaint stated, “a Texas-based contractor named Jed Wallace, who weaponized a digital army around the country from New York to Los Angeles to create, seed, and promote content that appeared to be authentic on social media platforms and internet chat forums.”
The CRD complaint also alleged conduct of sexual harassment, retaliation; failure to investigate, prevent, and/or remedy harassment and aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation.
While the complaint was privately filed with the CRD, it made its way into the hands of the New York Times. The New York Times then published it in an article for all the world to see. And, given the celebrity of Blake Lively, other media outlets picked up on the story and ran with it.
Jed Wallace‘s complaint against Blake Lively was amended in April 2025. For a better understanding of Jed’s position on the matter, I recommend reading his Amended Complaint.
All documents in the Wallace v Lively case are filed on the Texas (Western District) court’s docket for public view.
[This post was revised on 1/7/26.]
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