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Taylor Swift subpoena dropped in Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni case in shock move

Taylor Swift subpoena dropped in Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni case in shock move

New York Post22-05-2025
New details have emerged in the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni cause.
After Taylor Swift was subpoenaed as a witness by the 'Jane the Virgin' star's legal team earlier this month, Baldoni's side has dropped the filing in a bombshell move, according to People.
A spokesperson for Lively, 37, told The Post they are 'pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm.'
6 Justin Baldoni attends Variety Faith And Spirituality In Entertainment Honors.
Variety via Getty Images
'We supported the efforts of Taylor's team to quash these inappropriate subpoenas directed to her counsel,' they told The Post, 'and we will continue to stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process.'
'The Baldoni and Wayfarer team have tried to put Taylor Swift, a woman who has been an inspiration for tens of millions across the globe, at the center of this case since day one,' the spokesperson continued. 'Exploiting Taylor Swift's celebrity was the original plan in Melissa Nathan's scenario planning document, and it continues to this day. Faced with having to justify themselves in federal court, they folded. At some point they will run out of distractions from the actual claims of sexual harassment and retaliation they are facing.'
The Post reached out to Swift's rep and Baldoni's lawyer for comment.
In response to the original subpoena filing, a representative for Swift, 35, said, 'Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see 'It Ends With Us' until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.'
6 Taylor Swift arrives to the stadium prior to the AFC Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Getty Images
On May 15, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted Lively's motion to strike a letter written by Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, in the ongoing legal battle.
In the letter, Freedman claimed he was told by an anonymous source that Lively's lead lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, allegedly threatened to release Swift's text messages if the artist didn't publicly support Lively.
He also claimed that the 'Gossip Girl' alum allegedly asked Swift to delete their text chain.
6 Blake Lively (L) and Taylor Swift are seen on September 30, 2023 in New York City.
GC Images
Gottlieb denied the allegations, and in the order obtained by The Post, Judge Liman ruled that the filing was 'improper' and 'irrelevant.'
'It took the court less than 24 hours to see through Mr. Freedman's irrelevant, improper and inflammatory accusations, strike them, remove them from the court and warn Mr. Freedman that further misconduct may be met with sanctions,' Lively's spokesperson told The Post at the time.
Swift was also mentioned in Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in which the 'It Ends With Us' director claimed that in an exchange of texts, Lively called Swift one of her 'dragons' and referred to herself as Khaleesi from 'Game of Thrones.'
6 Ice Spice, Taylor Swift and Blake Lively.
Getty Images
In the suit, Baldoni claimed the Grammy winner was present during an important meeting he had at Lively and Reynold's NYC penthouse.
Baldoni and Lively's legal battle started in December 2024, when 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants' star claimed he sexually harassed her during the filming of 'It Ends With Us.'
Lively also accused Baldoni of creating a smear campaign against her.
Both parties have denied the allegations against them, and their trial date is set for March 2026.
Amid the backlash, Swift and Lively's friendship has allegedly been put on the back burner despite the superstar being the godmother to Lively and Reynold's four children.
6 Blake Lively and Taylor Swift attend a private party at Lucalli Pizza restaurant in Brooklyn on January 10, 2024 in New York City.
GC Images
'Their friendship has halted,' a source told People on May 15.
The insider added, 'Taylor wants no part in this drama.'
A second source echoed those sentiments, claiming that Swift and Lively are 'taking some space' but that the pair are 'not no longer friends.'
Lively and Swift's friendship dates back to 2014, but the duo's friendship was already rumored to be in a 'fragile' place prior to the subpoena.
6 Blake Lively and Taylor Swift.
Getty Images
A source told People in April that Swift was 'really hurt' when she was implicated in the 'It Ends With Us' drama.
According to another insider at the time, they were allegedly working to 'put it all behind them' until the filing reportedly 'fractured' the progress they made.
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Katy Perry could be forgiven by veteran's family in $15M mansion war
Katy Perry could be forgiven by veteran's family in $15M mansion war

New York Post

time9 minutes ago

  • New York Post

Katy Perry could be forgiven by veteran's family in $15M mansion war

As the second phase of Katy Perry's legal battle with Carl Westcott kicks off in court, the 85-year-old veteran's family tells The Post they are willing to forgive the pop star for subjecting them to the burdens of the trial — but they want one thing. Perry, 40, and Westcott's trial over damages she claims she's owed after purchasing the $15 million mansion from him, via her business manager Bernie Gudvi, begins on Thursday, August 21. 15 Katy Perry performs onstage during The Lifetimes Tour in New York at Madison Square Garden on August 11, KP 15 Carl Westcott with his daughter-in-law, 'Real Housewives of Dallas' star Kameron Westcott, and grandkids. Kameron Wescott/Instagram The Post spoke to Westcott's son, Chart, who revealed he can show Perry grace if she sincerely apologizes for dragging out the legal process, although he doubts that will happen. While a judge already ruled that Perry was the rightful owner of the Santa Barbara, Calif., mansion, the 'Dark Horse' singer countersued Westcott, claiming he is on the hook for $3.25 million in damages because she couldn't rent the home during their legal battle from September 2020 to March 2024. Perry's legal team later insisted she was owed an additional $2.2 million for alleged repairs that were needed to restore the home to its purchased condition, citing structural defects and deferred maintenance. 15 The Santa Barbara, California, mansion that Katy Perry and Carl Westcott fought over. BACKGRID 15 Katy Perry: The Lifetimes Tour at Madison Square Garden on August 11, 2025 in New York KP The mansion war began five years ago, when the entrepreneur — who suffers from the neurological disorder Huntington's disease — tried to back out of the sale just days after Perry bought the property, citing his mental incapacity. He claimed he was not in his right mind and under the influence of pain meds due to a recent surgery when he signed the contract. However, after years of litigation, the judge stated that 'Westcott presented no persuasive evidence that he lacked capacity to enter into a real estate contract between June 10, 2020, and June 18, 2020, the days during which he negotiated and signed the contract,' and awarded Perry the mansion in December 2023. He also ruled that there was significant evidence to demonstrate Westcott knowingly signed the contract, noting he seemed to be 'coherent, engaged, lucid, and rational.' 15 Katy Perry was ruled rightful owner of the property in December 2024. Village Properties 15 Carl Westcott is 85 years old and bedridden. Courtesty of Carl Westcott 15 Katy Perry in New York City on August 12, 2025. Santi Ramales / BACKGRID In May 2024, the deed of the property was transferred to Perry's LLC, DDoveB (named after the daughter she shares with her ex, Orlando Bloom, Daisy Dove, 4). Regarding the alleged damages (phase two of the proceedings), the singer's attorneys claimed experts examined the estate last year and determined 'that significant portions needed to be repaired, including nearly a million dollars in pervasive flood damage that occurred in early 2024 and substantial repairs that are needed due to a large tree falling on and cracking the foundation of one of the buildings on the Property, among many other defects throughout the Property.' 'Gudvi bargained for the condition of the Property in July 2020, and the $15 million purchase price was based on the Property as it existed at that time. Westcott should not be able to profit from his own deficient construction and lack of maintenance while this litigation was pending,' her lawyers argued. 15 Carl Westcott giving his grandkid a hug from his bed. Kameron Wescott/Instagram While Chart previously told The Post that Perry 'could've walked away at any time with grace and humanity' instead of fighting 'a dying man in court, all for money,' Wescott's son said there's still room for forgiveness. 'An apology would be nice. That would tie a ribbon around the whole thing,' he shared in an exclusive interview before the trial. '[I'm] not expecting it. I don't think it's in her nature to take responsibility for anything, really at all, but certainly not for her bad acts. She doesn't take responsibility, so that's not going to happen. But that would be nice.' When asked whether it would be water under the bridge if Perry said she was sorry, Chart responded, 'Absolutely. I think you have to forgive people if they're sincere in their apologies. You have to give them that grace.' 15 Getty Images 15 Carl Westcott with two of his grandchildren, Kameron and Court Westcott's kids. Kameron Wescott/Instagram He, however, noted, 'There has to be room for grace and how we conduct our affairs, which is not what she showed my father, right? Not one ounce of grace or dignity did she allow him. So it is absolutely a necessity that we would do that and show her that grace. So it would be completely forgiven.' While stating he couldn't speak for everyone in his family, Chart shared it'd be nice for the singer to 'let me know that there's an actual human being in there' with 'empathy and compassion left.' Chart also shared that there will be family members present during the entire trial, which is estimated to last at least 5 days. 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It doesn't seem to be an inconvenience for her. Which, you know, is very telling,' he said in the interview. 'So, unfortunately, for us, the legal fees will be high. And it's a huge inconvenience in terms of time [and] money for the giant waste that she's put us all through.' Chart also told The Post that he's shielding his ailing father from the trial. 15 Carl Westcott and his grandson. Courtesty of Carl Westcott 'We try not to talk to him about it for obvious reasons of stress and anger,' he revealed. 'We're trying to make him as peaceful as possible so we don't bring it up to him.' 'I would honestly spare him from that,' he continued. 'I don't want to cause any sort of agitation with him,' Chart explained, noting Westcott is 'tired, dying and old.' 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We agree to disagree.' 15 Katy Perry and her ex-fiancé, Orlando Bloom. orlandobloom/Instagram For Chart, he is ready to watch Perry — whose real name is Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson — 'talk about this [the legal battle] and see how she wears this mask that she must maintain. How does it fit on her skin?' 'That will be, for me, very satisfying,' he said. The Post reached out to Perry's rep for comment.

Serena Williams Addresses Weight-Loss Medication Use
Serena Williams Addresses Weight-Loss Medication Use

Buzz Feed

time9 minutes ago

  • Buzz Feed

Serena Williams Addresses Weight-Loss Medication Use

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During a recent interview with People, Serena revealed she's been taking a GLP-1 weight-loss medication, along with exercising to achieve her current form, and has since lost over 31 pounds. 'I feel great,' Serena told People. 'I feel really good and healthy. I feel light physically and light mentally.' She said her battle with her weight began after she gave birth to her first daughter, Alexis Olympia, in 2017, when her postpartum body arrived. 'I never was able to get to the weight I needed to be, no matter what I did, no matter how much I trained. It was crazy because I'd never been in a place like that in my life where I worked so hard, ate so healthy, and could never get down to where I needed to be at.' 'I had never taken shortcuts in my career and always worked really hard. I know what it takes to be the best,' the 23-time Grand Slam champion said. 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As A Beatles Fan, This Disney+ Release Is The Best News I've Gotten Since I Ditched My VCR
As A Beatles Fan, This Disney+ Release Is The Best News I've Gotten Since I Ditched My VCR

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

As A Beatles Fan, This Disney+ Release Is The Best News I've Gotten Since I Ditched My VCR

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Few musical acts in the history of pop culture have had quite the impact that the Beatles had. The Fab Four from Liverpool took the world by storm in the 1960s, and the group has been a mainstay of culture and a major influence ever since. Beatles' music is used in film all the time. We're even getting four movies about The Beatles very soon. It was a quarter century after the Beatles broke up that one of the major events in my life took place when I watched The Beatles Anthology special on television. As a teenager, I certainly knew the Beatles, but the Anthology series gave me an appreciation for the band I didn't have before. I became a huge Beatles fan soon after, buying all three albums that were associated with the project, and even getting the full eight-part series on VHS that Christmas. I owned the tapes for years after that, despite no longer owning a VCR to watch them on, but very soon I won't even need one anymore. The Beatles Anthology Is Finally Coming To Streaming On Disney+ All the Beatles' social media accounts had been teasing something big for the last few days, and it all seemed to be associated with The Beatles Anthology, the combination of album and documentary that was created three decades ago. Today, it was officially confirmed that a newly remastered version of the full series, with a brand new ninth episode, will debut on Disney+ on November 26. Needless to say, as somebody who considers this series a major moment in my musical history, I am thrilled. The Beatles Anthology was a remarkably comprehensive documentary, with new interviews from the, at the time, three remaining Beatles. If you want to know everything about one of the most influential bands ever, there's no better way. Alongside the streaming release, The Beatles Anthology music is getting rereleased, with a new fourth album, a new book has been produced, and the 'new' Beatles song 'Free as a Bird' has been remastered. The Disney+ Beatles Anthology Will Contain A New Episode And what's even better as a fan is that The Beatles Anthology has been expanded. Originally an eight-part series, the version hitting Disney+ in November will have a ninth part, which will act as a behind-the-scenes documentary on the production of The Beatles Anthology itself. It's the perfect way to cap everything off. Disney+ has become a fantastic place for music. From Elton John and Taylor Swift concerts to great documentaries on Abby Road and more. If you're a fan of lots of artists its worth having a Disney+ subscription, but perhaps none more than The Beatles. Your Disney+ subscription will already give you Beatles '64 about the band's first trip to America The Beatles: Get Back, Peter Jackson's documentary on the production of the historic Let It Be album, a remastered version of The Beatles: Let It Be documentary film. The Beatles Anthology will go nicely alongside these other pieces of history for serious fans. If there's a downside, it's that I'm about to go broke buying The Beatles on vinyl again. Solve the daily Crossword

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