Drama As A Taylor Swift Ally Joins Justin Baldoni's Team Amid Legal Tussle With Blake Lively
The legal showdown between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has taken a dramatic turn.
A heavyweight litigator with ties to Taylor Swift has joined Baldoni's camp, sparking new controversy and questions about Swift's silent role in the feud.
The recent development comes amid reported tensions between Swift and Lively as their friendship continues to suffer amid the latter's legal battle with Baldoni.
Baldoni, 41, has recruited powerhouse attorney Ellyn S. Garofalo to his legal team in his escalating conflict with "It Ends With Us" co-star Lively, 37.
Garofalo, who worked at Venable LLP, Swift's former legal representatives, from 2018 to 2021, is now part of Baldoni's Wayfarer counsel.
Her entry into the case could prove decisive. A seasoned trial lawyer with over 30 years of courtroom experience, Garofalo has handled high-stakes cases involving stars like Anna Nicole Smith and Alyssa Milano.
She specializes in civil, criminal, and regulatory law, including SEC enforcement actions, and is a graduate of Pepperdine Law School.
'Garofalo was compelled to join the case after reviewing its circumstances, feeling strongly that an injustice was unfolding and that her participation could make a meaningful difference,' a source told the Daily Mail.
'Baldoni's team is thrilled because of her track record in the courtroom,' the insider added. 'She not only brings exceptional legal expertise but also fulfils their desire to include a prominent female litigator.'
The pop icon was pulled into the chaos in early May when Baldoni's team subpoenaed her as a witness.
According to a legal filing, Lively allegedly tried to 'coerce' Swift into releasing a public statement supporting her and 'urged her to delete text messages between them.'
Lively's lawyers fought back hard, calling the claims 'baseless, unnecessary, improper and abusive.' The court agreed, granting her motion to dismiss the subpoena letter.
Swift's camp later slammed the subpoena as nothing more than 'tabloid clickbait.'
Ultimately, Baldoni's team withdrew the subpoena in late May after Venable objected, saying the action amounted to an 'unwarranted fishing expedition.'
New twists followed quickly. Days after the subpoena was dropped, an unnamed insider from Swift's inner circle allegedly provided incriminating documentation to Baldoni's lead attorney, Bryan Freedman.
This evidence reportedly revealed that Lively's team had 'threatened to leak' private exchanges between the actress and Swift to pressure the singer into siding with her publicly.
In a shocking reveal, sources claimed the leaker was none other than Taylor Swift's 73-year-old father, Scott Swift.
While Swift has not made any public comment on the matter, the surrounding drama has fueled intense speculation about her loyalties and silence amid the celebrity crossfire.
Although Taylor Swift is no longer legally tied to the feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, sources say her friendship with Lively didn't survive the fallout.
The 35-year-old pop superstar reportedly feels 'an immense sense of relief' after the subpoena issued by Baldoni's legal team was dropped on May 22. Still, the emotional damage appears to be lasting.
'There's been radio silence between Taylor and Blake since the subpoena was dropped,' a source told Us Weekly, adding that their previously close friendship has 'stalled' due to 'legal tension.'
According to the insider, things are unlikely to return to how they were: 'They won't pick up where they left off.'
As her friendship with Lively reportedly dissolves, Taylor Swift is quietly deepening her connection with other longtime friends, most notably Dakota Johnson.
The two were spotted dining at Via Carota in New York City, accompanied by their brothers Austin Swift and Jesse Johnson.
Fans will recall Johnson once calling Swift 'the most powerful person in America' during her "Saturday Night Live monologue." Their recent outing appears to signal Swift's preference for more low-key, drama-free relationships.
The ripple effects are extending through Swift's inner circle. Cara Delevingne, formerly close to both Lively and Swift, has reportedly taken Swift's side.
'Cara does not like to be involved in any drama, and she is very supportive of her friends,' a source said to the Daily Mail. 'She considers Taylor to be one of her closest friends and she does not approve of the way that the events of the past several months have unfolded.'
Sophie Turner and Gigi Hadid, two other core members of Swift's squad, have also distanced themselves from Lively. Hadid, once publicly affectionate toward Lively, no longer appears connected to the actress.
Sources also believe Swift skipped the 2025 American Music Awards to avoid media questions. 'She avoided the AMAs because she didn't want to deal with 1000s of questions about the Blake Lively saga,' a source revealed. 'It is all anyone wants to talk about, and Taylor is really tired of it.'
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