Latest news with #Wayfarer
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Taylor Swift Free From Justin Baldoni Subpoena As Blake Lively Battle Heats Up
It seems Taylor Swift just had her "wildest dreams" come true: lawyers representing Justin Baldoni have dropped their subpoena against her, marking the latest update in his "It Ends With Us" lawsuit against costar Blake Lively. The "Look What You Made Me Do" singer's subpoena made headlines last week after Baldoni's team alleged that the "Gossip Girl" alum's lawyers had threatened to expose personal text messages from the singer in exchange for her public support. On May 22, Baldoni's legal team withdrew its subpoena against the 'Shake It Off' singer. Baldoni's lawyers had filed paperwork seeking information about how involved Swift was in the creation of the film, given speculation that she was involved in everything from script changes to casting. Deadline was the first to report the news, who noted that Swift's team responded to the legal update with 'no comment,' while they had yet to hear back from reps for Baldoni or Wayfarer Studios, who recently closed down their Wayfarer Foundation due to the mounting legal fees in their dueling lawsuits. As The Blast previously reported, Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's attorney, argued in court papers that he had received a tip from a 'source who is highly likely to have reliable information' about Swift's involvement in the film. Freedman claimed that Lively's attorney contacted Swift's attorney and 'demanded that Ms. Swift release a statement of support for Ms. Lively,' as well as "intimating that if Ms. Swift refused to do so, private text messages of a personal nature in Ms. Lively's possession would be released." Freedman argued that 'those communications' would come to light with the subpoena, which has now been withdrawn. Mike Gottlieb, an attorney for Blake Lively, told PEOPLE magazine that Baldoni's allegations were 'categorically false,' adding, 'We unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations, which are cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality.' He went on to say, 'This is what we have come to expect from the Wayfarer parties' lawyers, who appear to love nothing more than shooting first, without any evidence, and with no care for the people they are harming in the process. We will imminently file motions with the court to hold these attorneys accountable for their misconduct here.' In an August 2024 interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings, Lively thanked Swift for allowing her to use her song, 'My Tears Ricochet,' in the film's trailer and soundtrack. However, she also took things one step further, and insinuated that Swift's involvement extended just beyond her music. "She was with me throughout this whole process. So I think that, for better or worse, she, you know, experienced the whole thing with me," she said at the time. However, Swift's rep strongly denied the suggestion that the 'Love Story' singer was involved with the film shortly after news of the subpoena broke. "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," the singer's rep said in a statement. "The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, 'My Tears Ricochet,'' the statement continued. "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." It is unclear where their friendship currently stands. As The Blast previously reported, the "Cruel Summer" singer has reportedly 'halted' their friendship, with a source previously telling PEOPLE magazine, 'Taylor wants no part in this drama.' Other sources have indicated that, while they are still friends, they are "taking some space" as Lively's legal battle continues.
Global News
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Global News
Taylor Swift summons withdrawn in Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively legal battle
Justin Baldoni's lawyers have withdrawn a subpoena that was issued to Taylor Swift amid the It Ends With Us actor's ongoing legal battle with co-star Blake Lively. Swift, who is close friends with Lively, had been mentioned in connection with the ongoing legal case between the co-stars when text exchanges were revealed that included her name in Baldoni's US$400-million defamation countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds in January. Lawyers for Swift and Lively previously filed motions to revoke the subpoena, issued earlier this month. Lively's spokesperson previously said that Baldoni had attempted to subpoena the pop star as a witness in the case 'designed' to use Swift's 'name to draw public interest.' 'We are pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm,' the spokesperson said in a statement to Variety on May 22. Story continues below advertisement '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 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,' Lively's spokesperson added. '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 statement concluded. 4:43 Taylor Swift subpoenaed to testify in Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni trial Since the legal battle began, Baldoni's legal team has made text messages from Lively and Reynolds public on a website, titled The Lawsuit Info, created to help defend him. Story continues below advertisement On the website, published in early February, Baldoni, 41, also shared an amended complaint in his case against Lively, Reynolds, Lively's PR firm and the New York Times, as well as a 168-page document, called 'Timeline of relevant events,' related to the case and the production of the film. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The timeline includes emails and text messages that were allegedly sent leading up to and during the movie's filming. Text messages between Lively and Baldoni, where she seemingly alludes to Swift as 'one of her dragons,' were released in February. Swift and Lively have been very close friends since 2015 and the pop star is the godmother of Lively's children. According to Variety, the subpoenas to Swift and her legal team did not appear to be connected to those particular text messages. Bryan Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, said he was looking for evidence that Lively's lawyer had threatened to release text messages between Lively and Swift unless Swift issued a statement of support for the Gossip Girl actor, according to a court filing viewed by the outlet. (Global News has not independently viewed the document.) Freedman alleged that he received a voicemail on Feb. 14 from 'a person very closely linked to Taylor Swift.' He declined to identify the person but claimed that Lively's lawyer had demanded that the 35-year-old singer post a statement in support of Lively on social media and warned that he could release 10 years of text messages between the pair. Story continues below advertisement Freedman also claimed that Swift's lawyers accused Lively's lawyers of extortion. The unidentified person also claimed that Lively had told Swift to delete their text messages from several months earlier, according to Freedman. Freedman said the subpoena was to obtain the allegedly extortionate conversation in a letter to Lively's lawyer. Lively's lawyers called Freedman's allegations 'unequivocally and demonstrably false.' Swift's legal team previously said that if Swift was subpoenaed, she wouldn't have any information relevant to the legal dispute and should not be involved in the case. '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 travelling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history,' her spokesperson said on May 9. Story continues below advertisement Swift's team said her only involvement in the film was licensing a song, which was My Tears Ricochet. '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,' the spokesperson said. Lively's legal team released a statement after news of Swift's potential involvement in the case spread. It said that Baldoni and his legal team 'continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into entertainment for the tabloids.' 'This is a very serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey's Circus,' the spokesperson said. 'The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame and attack women's rights and reputations.' Story continues below advertisement Baldoni and Lively's legal trial is set for March 2026 in New York City.
Economic Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Blake Lively hits back hard, moves to sanction Justin Baldoni's team over explosive and improper Taylor Swift extortion claims
Blake Lively is taking legal action against Justin Baldoni's team, alleging they falsely accused her of trying to extort Taylor Swift. Lively's legal team claims these accusations are baseless and intended to smear her reputation. She's also seeking records related to alleged harassment during the "It Ends With Us" shoot, claiming the investigation was delayed and biased. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Why is Blake Lively calling the accusations 'wilfully improper'? What are the details of the legal motion Blake Lively filed? Why does Lively claim the investigation wasn't handled properly? Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads What did the judge say about the letter from Baldoni's team? FAQs Tensions are escalating between Blake Lively and her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni Blake Lively is seeking legal action against Justin Baldoni's legal team for making a false claim about Taylor their letter last week alleging that her team attempted to extort Taylor Swift in return for her public support, Blake Lively filed a motion Monday to sanction her "It Ends With Us" co-star and director Justin Baldoni and his team, as per a report by The has filed for sanctions in response to what she describes as a "wilfully improper" accusation against Taylor Gottlieb, Blake's lawyer, swiftly retorted in a statement that all of these alleged accusations are categorically denied by us; they are utterly disconnected from reality and cowardly attributed to purportedly anonymous sources, as per a report by The legal team claims the allegations are baseless and intended to smear her for the actress claim that claims made by Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman have "no reasonable basis in law and clearly were brought for an improper purpose" and that they were filed as a "obvious" means of "sowing harassing media narratives against Ms. Lively."The 30-page motion was filed Monday in New York's Southern District court filing stated, "These public attacks, along with the Rule 11 Plaintiffs' numerous claims against Ms. Lively that have no legal or factual basis, are wilfully improper and warrant sanctions,' as per a report by The actress' legal team filed a second motion on Monday to obtain documents related to the "It Ends With Us" probe into the alleged sexual harassment and retaliation campaign of its Lively's "Fourth Set of Requests for Production," Lively's team filed a letter motion to "compel" Wayfarer Studios and the "It Ends With Us" film to produce materials. The motion sought witness recordings and documents from Wayfarer's "alleged 'neutral' workplace investigation into Lively's sexual harassment and retaliation claims.""When Ms. Lively first expressed her concerns in May 2023, Wayfarer failed to look into them, even though it was legally required to do so," the four-page letter sent to Judge Lewis J. Liman stated."She may have also been spared the retaliatory smear campaign by Wayfarer and its Co-Defendants if her complaints had been promptly investigated, as required by law," the letter Wayfarer put off starting this investigation for years, until late January 2025. Wayfarer had already publicly and vehemently refuted Ms. Lively's claims by then, and she and a number of other people were sued for $400 million for making the same claims that are currently the focus of this "neutral" in widely reported media interviews by January, its attorney had repeatedly accused Ms. Lively of requested investigation items were described as "highly relevant" and required to "ensure that witness engagement has been proper and has been put at issues by Wayfarer" by Lively's team at the end of the lawyers moved to have the letter removed from the court's records on Thursday, and their request was approved."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," a spokesperson at the time said in a letter's only goal is to "promote public scandal" by making baseless accusations against Lively and her attorney based on knowledge and to Lively's legal team, Baldoni's lawyers falsely accused her of attempting to extort Taylor Swift, describing the claims as legally baseless and intended to harm her reputation. She is now asking the court to sanction them for what she calls a "harassing media narrative."Lively claims she faced sexual harassment and retaliation while filming and calls the production's late and allegedly biased investigation a "charade." She wants documents and recordings to show that her concerns were ignored and that the investigation was not truly objective.
Perth Now
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Justin Baldoni drops Taylor Swift subpoena
Justin Baldoni has dropped the subpoena issued to Taylor Swift in his ongoing legal battle with Blake Lively. The 41-year-old actor is being sued by his 'It Ends With Us' co-star for sexual harassment and attempting to destroy her reputation, while he has hit back with a lawsuit accusing her of extortion and defamation, and though he had wanted Blake's close friend to give evidence in the case, the 'Gossip Girl' star's representative has revealed that is no longer the case. A spokesperson for Blake said in a statement: 'We are pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm. '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 representative accused Justin and his company, Wayfarer Studios, of trying to put the 'Cruel Summer' hitmaker "at the centre of this case" from the beginning and suggested the subpoena had been a distraction tactic. The statement continued: "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 centre of this case since day one. "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." Taylor's spokesperson previously slammed the decision to issue her with a subpoena because she had no major connection to the filming of 'It Ends With Us'. Her representative 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 travelling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history. "The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, 'My Tears Ricochet.' 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." Justin had claimed in his countersuit that Taylor and Blake's husband Ryan Reynolds pressured him into accepting a rewrite by the actress and described a meeting at the couple's home, during which he alleged the 'Bad Blood' singer "began praising Lively's script." The documents added: "Baldoni understood the subtext: he needed to comply with Lively's direction." A trial is scheduled to take place in March 2026.
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Taylor Swift subpoena dropped by Justin Baldoni in surprise move in Blake Lively case: Exploiting Taylor's celebrity...
Taylor Swift can breathe a big sigh of relief. The subpoena against the singer in the ongoing legal drama between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has been dropped. Blake's legal team confirmed the surprise development in a statement to the press and claimed this as a big win. (Also read: Blake Lively reacts to Justin Baldoni's 'cowardly' claim that she tried to intimidate Taylor Swift into supporting her) Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni had worked together on It Ends With Us last year. Following the film's release, Blake sued Justin for sexual harassment and creating a toxic work environment. Justin Baldoni then counter-sued Blake and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation and allegedly orchestrating a smear campaign against him. In his case against Blake, Baldoni had issued a subpoena to Taylor Swift, one of Blake Lively's closest friends in the industry. A spokesperson for Blake Lively told People magazine 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 spokesperson called the subpoena an effort to exploit Taylor's celebrity and added that it being dropped shows it was unjust. "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 centre of this case since day one. 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." Earlier this month, after the subpoena had been issued, Taylor had released a statement saying she had no connection with It Ends With Us. "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 rep said. The trial for Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al., which will cover both lawsuits, is scheduled for March 2026.
