Taylor Swift Subpoenaed in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni Case
Yara Sameh
Taylor Swift has been subpoenaed in the legal battle between Justin Baldoni over allegations surrounding the making of their 2024 film "It Ends with Us."
A spokesperson for Swift denied any involvement with the film beyond licensing her song 'My Tears Ricochet' to be used in the trailer and a scene: '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.'
Swift's subpoena relates to Baldoni's defamation lawsuit filed in January, which included text messages between Lively and Baldoni, her co-star and director, in which the former appears to allude to Swift as 'one of her dragons.'
In the suit, filed against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million, Baldoni alleged that the couple hijacked the film and sought to destroy his public reputation with false allegations and sexual harassment.
While Swift was not named in the suit, her first name appears in a text message Baldoni sent to Lively and is believed to be the 'megacelebrity friend' referenced in the filing. The texts concern a rooftop scene in the film that Lively had allegedly reworked in the script.
The suit states that Lively summoned Baldoni to her penthouse in New York where Reynolds and the 'megacelebrity friend' praised Lively's version of the scene. Baldoni's lawyers stated that he 'felt obliged to text Lively to say that he had liked her pages and hadn't needed Reynolds and her megacelebrity friend to pressure him.'
'Also was working on rooftop scene today, I really love what you did. It really does [help] a lot,' wrote Baldoni in the text message. 'Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor) You really are a talent across the board. Really excited [and] grateful to do this together.'
Later, Lively sent a text that referred to Reynolds and another person whose name is redacted as 'absolute titans as writers and storytellers outside of their primary gig.'
She also compared herself to Khaleesi, the dragon-controlling queen on 'Game of Thrones,' and suggested that she has powerful forces in her corner. 'My dragons also protect those I fight for,' she wrote. 'So really we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. You will too, I can promise you.'
Swift's spokesperson dismissed the subpoena as a bid to stir media attention in the case.
'Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case,' said the spokesperson.
Blake later shared her response to Swift being subpoenaed. Her legal team slammed Baldoni's lawyers for issuing the subpoena to the Grammy winner and also clapped back at the suggestion that tickets be sold to Lively's deposition.
In a statement, the actress's rep said: "Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Sarowitz, and team continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids... Going as far as suggesting that they sell tickets to a concert venue - Madison Square Garden - to witness Ms. Lively's deposition, to subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions all over the world. This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey's Circus,".
The rep added, "The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women's rights and reputations. Including in the past month seeking to strike down for all, a powerful California victims' rights law, calling it "unconstitutional."
"The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as "female allies" and their team continue to show their true colors".
Though Swift's spokesperson denies her involvement in the film, 'It Ends With Us' actress Isabela Ferrer told
Extra
that Swift allegedly played a part in getting her cast in it.
Ferrer alleged she 'found out later after she got it' that Swift was a 'helpful part of the process of the audition.'
The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni began in December when Lively filed a letter with the California Civil Rights Department, claiming Baldoni sexually harassed her and engaged in a 2024 smear campaign against her. After the New York Times ran a report about it, Baldoni sued the publication for $250 million on New Year's Eve, accusing them of libel.
Lively then sued Baldoni for violating federal and California state law, which prompted Baldoni to file his $400 million suit in January.
Reynolds and Lively both filed motions to dismiss the defamation suit, arguing it's retaliation for lodging a sexual harassment claim.
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Yara Sameh Justin Baldoni's lawyers have withdrawn a subpoena sent to Taylor Swift and her legal team after the firm objected to the request and said it amounted to an 'unwarranted fishing expedition.' Attorneys for Swift and Blake Lively — who are friends — had filed motions to quash the subpoena, which sought communications between their respective legal teams. Baldoni is suing Lively, his 'It Ends With Us' co-star, and her husband Ryan Reynolds, alleging that they tried destroy his career with false allegations of sexual harassment. Lively has sued Baldoni and a cast of publicists on the grounds that they launched an online whisper campaign against her in retaliation for her harassment complaints. In a statement on Thursday, Lively's spokesperson said that Baldoni had sought to exploit Swift's celebrity to distract from the real issues in the case. 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According to a court filing from Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lead attorney, he was instead looking for evidence that Lively's lawyer had threatened to release texts between Lively and Swift unless Swift issued a statement of support for Lively. Freedman alleged that he received a voicemail on February 14 from 'a person very closely linked to Taylor Swift.' In a subsequent conversation, this person, whom Freedman declined to identify, claimed that Lively's lawyer had demanded that Swift post a social media statement in support of Lively, and warned that he could release 10 years of texts between the two stars. According to Freedman's version of events, Swift's lawyer then accused Lively's lawyer of extortion and ended the call. The person also claimed that Lively had urged Swift to delete their text messages several months earlier, according to Freedman. Freedman also claimed that Swift's lawyer had memorialized the allegedly extortionate conversation in a letter to Lively's lawyer, which he was seeking to obtain through the subpoena. Lively's lawyers called Freedman's allegations 'unequivocally and demonstrably false,' and argued that the sole purpose of the court filing was to publicize scandalous claims through a means by which they would be shielded from defamation liability. Attorneys for both Swift and Lively also argued that the allegations were irrelevant to the claims and defenses actually at issue in the case. In the court filing, Freedman indicated that the motions to quash would likely become moot, as negotiations were underway with Swift's law firm, Venable LLP. Purportedly, those negotiations have resulted in information being provided voluntarily, obviating the need for the subpoenas. 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Yara Sameh Taylor Swift has been subpoenaed in the legal battle between Justin Baldoni over allegations surrounding the making of their 2024 film "It Ends with Us." A spokesperson for Swift denied any involvement with the film beyond licensing her song 'My Tears Ricochet' to be used in the trailer and a scene: '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.' Swift's subpoena relates to Baldoni's defamation lawsuit filed in January, which included text messages between Lively and Baldoni, her co-star and director, in which the former appears to allude to Swift as 'one of her dragons.' In the suit, filed against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million, Baldoni alleged that the couple hijacked the film and sought to destroy his public reputation with false allegations and sexual harassment. While Swift was not named in the suit, her first name appears in a text message Baldoni sent to Lively and is believed to be the 'megacelebrity friend' referenced in the filing. The texts concern a rooftop scene in the film that Lively had allegedly reworked in the script. The suit states that Lively summoned Baldoni to her penthouse in New York where Reynolds and the 'megacelebrity friend' praised Lively's version of the scene. Baldoni's lawyers stated that he 'felt obliged to text Lively to say that he had liked her pages and hadn't needed Reynolds and her megacelebrity friend to pressure him.' 'Also was working on rooftop scene today, I really love what you did. It really does [help] a lot,' wrote Baldoni in the text message. 'Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor) You really are a talent across the board. Really excited [and] grateful to do this together.' Later, Lively sent a text that referred to Reynolds and another person whose name is redacted as 'absolute titans as writers and storytellers outside of their primary gig.' She also compared herself to Khaleesi, the dragon-controlling queen on 'Game of Thrones,' and suggested that she has powerful forces in her corner. 'My dragons also protect those I fight for,' she wrote. 'So really we all benefit from those gorgeous monsters of mine. You will too, I can promise you.' Swift's spokesperson dismissed the subpoena as a bid to stir media attention in the case. 'Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case,' said the spokesperson. Blake later shared her response to Swift being subpoenaed. Her legal team slammed Baldoni's lawyers for issuing the subpoena to the Grammy winner and also clapped back at the suggestion that tickets be sold to Lively's deposition. In a statement, the actress's rep said: "Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Sarowitz, and team continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids... Going as far as suggesting that they sell tickets to a concert venue - Madison Square Garden - to witness Ms. Lively's deposition, to subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has given a voice to millions all over the world. This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey's Circus,". The rep added, "The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women's rights and reputations. Including in the past month seeking to strike down for all, a powerful California victims' rights law, calling it "unconstitutional." "The disturbing actions by a billionaire, men who made their careers as "female allies" and their team continue to show their true colors". Though Swift's spokesperson denies her involvement in the film, 'It Ends With Us' actress Isabela Ferrer told Extra that Swift allegedly played a part in getting her cast in it. Ferrer alleged she 'found out later after she got it' that Swift was a 'helpful part of the process of the audition.' The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni began in December when Lively filed a letter with the California Civil Rights Department, claiming Baldoni sexually harassed her and engaged in a 2024 smear campaign against her. After the New York Times ran a report about it, Baldoni sued the publication for $250 million on New Year's Eve, accusing them of libel. Lively then sued Baldoni for violating federal and California state law, which prompted Baldoni to file his $400 million suit in January. 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