a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Blake Lively asks judge to BLOCK Justin Baldoni from involving Taylor Swift in legal battle
has asked a federal judge to formally bar any further attempts by
's legal team to drag
into their escalating courtroom dispute, Peple reports. Calling previous efforts to subpoena the pop superstar a 'publicity stunt' with no legal relevance, a a motion was filed on Friday by Lively's attorneys requesting the court block discovery of any communications between Lively and Swift.
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In the motion, the actress' attorney Esra Hudson stated, 'Ms. Swift is not mentioned a single time in Ms. Lively's amended complaint.'
The team also argued that Baldoni's team is 'using Ms. Swift's name to generate tabloid fodder' rather than pursuing legitimate legal claims.
The move comes after Baldoni's attorneys previously subpoenaed Swift and her legal team for text messages and other communications related to the production of It Ends With Usr.
Swift's attorney Doug Baldridge objected to what he described as an 'unwarranted fishing expedition,' and the subpoenas were later withdrawn.
Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman had previously cited an unnamed source who claimed Lively told Swift to delete their text messages—an allegation the judge later struck from the record for being irrelevant and unsubstantiated.
At the time, Baldoni's team claimed they had 'got exactly what they were seeking,' implying they had received some form of cooperation.
However, Lively's attorneys submitted an email from Baldridge that appears to contradict that claim. 'No documents are being produced and no deposition is being scheduled,' Baldridge wrote.
Lively's legal team is reportedly looking to shut the door on Swift's name being mentioned in the proceedings again. 'The only allegations in this action that were ever remotely relevant to Ms. Swift were in the Wayfarer Parties' now dismissed complaint,' Hudson emphasized in Friday's motion.
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The attempt to involve Swift has raised eyebrows, particularly after a portion of Baldoni's now-dismissed defamation and extortion lawsuit referenced Swift's alleged support of Lively in a creative dispute over the film. The complaint claimed Lively had once called Swift one of her 'dragons'.
Judge Lewis J. Liman threw out Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against Lively and her husband,
earlier this week.
