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Thomas and Lydia
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Gavel Gavel

Gavel Gavel is the podcast that takes you inside the courtroom. Co-hosts Thomas and Lydia Smith ask the questions you're actually thinking, crack the jokes the case deserves, and cut through legal jargon — while real legal experts with actual trial experience bring the analysis that makes sense of it all. Sharp, funny, and genuinely informative, it's for anyone who's ever watched a trial unfold in the news and wanted someone to explain what's really going on.

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Episodes

Lively v. Baldoni 15 - Blake Livelys Hate This One Weird Trick to Double Your Evidence by Repeating It

Part 15 of LvB is Part 5 of Wayfarer et al v The New York Times We've made it through...the INTRODUCTION! There's plenty more to dig into, and this episode focuses on the behavior during post-production between the parties. Complete with more screenshots! Some are even legible! This is the complaint we're working from if you want to follow along. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

GG15 · May 23, 2025 · 63 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 14 - It's Not Retaliation If You Wait a Little While Until You Do It, Right?

Part 14 of LvB is Part 3 of Wayfarer et al v The New York Times We're moving along through this document and tackle some of Wayfarer's major talking points as they dispute Lively's characterization of the various conflicts. Simultaneously, Wayfarer's counsel continues to try to find something defamatory from the NYT article. Will they finally land on something in this episode? This is the complaint we're working from if you want to follow along. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

GG14 · May 23, 2025 · 53 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 13 - He Said That She Said That She Said She Was Sexually Assaulted

Part 13 of LvB is Part 3 of Wayfarer et al v The New York Times Let's get to some more 'graphs! The screenshots that are part of this section of the complaint highlight the seedy world of Hollywood tabloids and Public Relations personalities - its also the stuff that was "corrected" a couple of days later in a revised filing from Bryan Freedman, but we're sticking to the original so you, dear listener, get the full scoop of what's happening with the Wayfarer team. This is the complaint we're working from if you want to follow along. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

GG13 · May 22, 2025 · 55 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 12 - The Emoji Heard Round the World

Part 12 of LvB is Part 2 of Wayfarer et al v The New York Times Oh boy! We finally arrived for those who have heard the reference but have been unclear what it meant: the infamous emoji! What emoji was it, why was it missing from The New York Times article, does it matter that it's not there, and who bears the responsibility for its exclusion? We dig into the details as we continue through the Wayfarer parties' lawsuit against "The Grey Lady." This is the complaint we're working from if you want to follow along. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

GG12 · May 22, 2025 · 58 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 11 - "But the Times Did Not Care"

Part 11 of LvB is Part 1 of Wayfarer et al v The New York Times On the same day that Blake Lively filed her legal complaint, Baldoni et al filed this complaint against the NYT for defamation and some other things. It is... something. It's very long. But we're dedicated to covering this the right way, so here we go! Join us as we delve into the Baldoni side of things for the first time! This is the complaint we're working from if you want to follow along. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod! This content is CAN credentialed, which means you can report instances of harassment, abuse, or other harm on their hotline at (617) 249-4255, or on their website at creatoraccountabilitynetwork.org.

GG11 · May 21, 2025 · 58 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 10 - Lawyer MJ Morley Breaks Down the Law in Jones v. Abel, Part 2

It's part 2 with MJ Morley! We've walked through the factual allegations of the Jones v Abel lawsuit, but we called in for legal reinforcements to walk us through the law! We are thrilled to be joined by MJ Morley (@morewithmj) who has extremely relevant experience in New York employment law, and has also been covering the Lively v Baldoni suits online from a neutral perspective and allowing the facts to inform her position. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG10 · Mar 31, 2025 · 41 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 9 - Lawyer MJ Morley Breaks Down the Law in Jones v. Abel

We've walked through the factual allegations of the Jones v Abel lawsuit, but we called in for legal reinforcements to walk us through the law! We are thrilled to be joined by MJ Morley (@morewithmj) who has extremely relevant experience in New York employment law, and has also been covering the Lively v Baldoni suits online from a neutral perspective and allowing the facts to inform her position. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG9 · Mar 28, 2025 · 50 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 8 - Jonesin' for Breach of Contract Damages

We finish our thorough review of the Jones v Abel complaint. In the next episode, we'll be speaking to a lawyer with expertise in this specific area of law in this jurisdiction. But from where we're sitting, this looks really bad for Abel et al... Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG8 · Mar 24, 2025 · 68 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 7 - Who's Afraid of Stephanie Jones? Well, Abel et al. Probably Should Be...

While the It Ends with Us controversy carried out in front of the world, there was significant drama behind-the-scenes in the PR world, culminating in a breach of contract lawsuit filed against Jennifer Abel, Melissa Nathan, Justin Baldoni, and Wayfarer Studios. Lydia kicks off the episode with some background on the Plaintiffs in that suit - Stephanie Jones and Jonesworks - before we dive head first into the complaint that honestly not enough people are talking about that could have tremendous implications for the other lawsuits in this ordeal: Jones et al. v Abel et al. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG7 · Mar 21, 2025 · 54 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 6 - Crisis PR Firms Are Literal Satan

This begins a chunk of episodes on Jones v Abel. But you know us, we first need to lay a lot of foundation. After Blake Lively's CRD complaint and the story in the New York Times became public, folks spoke out in support of Lively, and expressed shock at the alleged actions of Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer team. We detail the fallout in timeline order, and discuss the repercussions of Jennifer Abel's text behavior for the Public Relations industry; and, in one of the many parallels between this saga and ours, we break down our own experiences with a crisis PR firm and the absolute hollowness of a statement like "I'm sticking with my client." Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG6 · Mar 20, 2025 · 77 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 5 - Lawyer Reacts to Blake's Complaint

It's high time we had some real law talkin folk back on this show. So, Anne Linder joins us to answer some of my law theories, including THE MISSING SUBPOENA, and then give us a breakdown of the legal claims in Blake's complaint. Anne talks us through the law on what Blake would need in order to prevail on each cause of action! Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG5 · Mar 4, 2025 · 59 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 4 - He Wants to Feel Like She Can Be Burned

We finish out Blake's complaint talking about the alleged retaliatory campaign. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG4 · Feb 28, 2025 · 72 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 3 - A Very Damning Document

This part of Lively's complaint involves a truly horrendous document for Baldoni. One that it seems very difficult to overcome. Next episode, we'll be onto the retaliation campaign. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG3 · Feb 28, 2025 · 60 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 2 - "She Isn't Weird About This Stuff"

We start to dive into Blake Lively's complaint. Specifically, the sexual harassment allegations. Support the show, get rid of ads, and get bonus stuff over on patreon.com/gavelpod!

GG2 · Feb 28, 2025 · 51 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith

Lively v. Baldoni 1 - It Ends with a Hatestorm

Gavel Gavel is here! (publicly, anyway. It has existed on patreon.com/gavelpod for quite a while...) The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni might feel like just "celebrity gossip," but there is so much here. It has fiercly divided the internet, with one group certain that Justin Baldoni is a sexual harsser, and the other group certain that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are devious plotters who lied about an innocent man in order to take over a movie. How are we to know the truth? Well, fortunately there are going on thousands of pages of legal documents to comb through. The answers are there, for the few among us that are willing to actually read them. This series will do just that.

GG1 · Feb 28, 2025 · 68 min · With Thomas Smith & Lydia Smith