Justin Baldoni's legal team revokes document subpoena issued for Taylor Swift
Justin Baldoni's legal team revokes document subpoena issued for Taylor Swift
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Blake Lively's team slams Baldoni's over Taylor Swift subpoena
Blake Lively's team has condemned Justin Baldoni's team's decision to subpoena Taylor Swift, calling it a blatant attempt to exploit Lively's friendship for tabloid attention.
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Justin Baldoni's legal team withdrew its subpoena against Taylor Swift.
The subpoena was related to the film "It Ends With Us," which used Swift's song "My Tears Ricochet."
The trial between Baldoni and Lively is scheduled for March 9, 2026.
Justin Baldoni's legal team withdrew the document subpoena for Taylor Swift less than two weeks after serving the singer.
"We are pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm," a spokesperson for Blake Lively said in a statement. "We supported the efforts of Taylor's team to quash these inappropriate subpoenas directed to her counsel and we will continue to stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process."
The USA TODAY Network reached out to Baldoni's attorney and Swift's team for comment and have not received responses.
Swift's song "My Tears Ricochet" was used in the movie "It Ends With Us," where the issues between Lively and Baldoni began. The book-to-screen adaptation has been shrouded in controversy since the movie press tour kicked off the summer of 2024. The blockbuster led to serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation by Lively and lawsuit filings by Baldoni of defamation and extortion.
On May 9, Swift's spokesperson blasted Baldoni's legal team saying Swift didn't watch the movie until weeks after the release given she was headlining the Eras Tour across Europe.
"Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film," Swift's representative said, "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."
Baldoni's attorneys filed a notice of intent in late April to subpoena Venable LLP, Swift's law firm overseeing hundreds of her trademarks. The same firm represented Swift during her 2015 sexual assault lawsuit against radio DJ David Mueller.
On May 14, Baldoni's attorneys refused to back down on their request for the subpoena in a letter to Judge Lewis Liman, who is presiding over the case. Bryan Freedman, the lawyer leading Baldoni's attorneys, argued the documents would demonstrate "witness tampering" between Lively, Swift and Swift's legal team.
Lively's attorney called the letter "categorically false."
On May 15, Judge Liman granted a motion to strike down the letter, adding to Baldoni's team, "Counsel is advised that future misuse of the Court's docket may be met with sanctions."
The trial is set for March 9, 2026, in Liman's courtroom in New York City.
Contributing: Edward Segarra.
Don't miss any Taylor Swift news; sign up for the free, weekly newsletter This Swift Beat.
Follow Bryan West, the USA TODAY Network's Taylor Swift reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @BryanWestTV.
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