Latest news with #WayfarerParties'
The South African
10-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The South African
Blake Lively scores major win as judge seals deposition transcript
Blake Lively has claimed a significant legal triumph in her ongoing lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director of the film It Ends With Us. A federal judge has granted her motion to remove her deposition transcript from the public court docket, ending a controversial episode in their legal battle. Last week, Lively underwent a deposition in New York, questioned aggressively by Baldoni's legal team over her sexual harassment claims against him. The deposition, nearly 300 pages long, was made public by Baldoni's lawyers, who represent Wayfarer Studios, the company behind the film. Lively's lawyers said this disclosure lacked any valid legal purpose and was designed solely as a smear tactic to damage her reputation, according to Page Six. Judge Lewis J. Liman supported Lively's motion and sharply criticised the release of the full transcript. He ruled: 'The Wayfarer Parties' attachment of the entire, nearly 300-page deposition, after citing only two pages of it, served no proper litigation purpose.' He added that the move appeared to 'invite public speculation and scandal'. The judge emphasised that the defendants had failed to prove that the entire transcript was relevant to the case. The judge also warned that Baldoni's team might exploit Lively's requests to seal irrelevant parts for their own media campaign. 'The Court has not only the power but also the responsibility to step in,' he said. Baldoni, aged 41, denies all sexual harassment allegations. He even previously filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. He accused them of defamation and extortion. However, that suit was dismissed in June. The court expects both Lively and Baldoni to give testimony during the trial scheduled for March 2026. Blake Lively, 37, has accused Baldoni of harassment on the set of their 2024 film. Additionally, her legal team alleges that Baldoni's publicists orchestrated a smear campaign against her. Speaking about the judge's decision, a source close to Lively stated, 'This ruling is a huge step for Blake. It recognises the tactics used against her and protects her from unnecessary public scrutiny.' The court ruling came after the transcript's publication caused a public stir, potentially harming Lively's public image. The judge's decision is not only a win for Lively but also marks a stand against the misuse of legal documents for publicity stunts. The legal battle continues to unfold, with the March trial promising more revelations. Fans of both stars will be keen to watch how this high-profile case evolves. It puts a spotlight on issues of workplace harassment and media manipulation within international entertainment circles. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Blake Lively's representatives accuse Justin Baldoni of dragging Taylor Swift; calls him out for distracting the case
Blake Lively , the controversial singer, has to submit her texts with Taylor Swift to Justin Baldoni 's team about the discomfort during the shoot. However, the 37-year-old's representatives vowed to continue fighting against Justin Baldoni and his relentless effort to drag the billionaire singer's name through the legal mud. What happened in the court? Previously, Judge Lewis J. Liman passed the motion that Baldoni's lawyers permission to acquire the chats, as Lively herself mentioned quite a lot of times that Taylor was the one she discussed about the workplace environment with, adding it the information would help in proving or disproving the 'Gossip Girl' alum's sexual harassment claims. Blake Lively's representatives accuse Justin Baldoni... 'The Court outright denied the Wayfarer Parties' motion to compel documents from Ms. Lively, who has produced far more documents in this case than the Wayfarer Parties combined,' the representative stated, before adding, 'Further, the Court's protective order ruling rests on the Wayfarer Parties' admission that they received nothing from Taylor Swift, which is exactly the opposite of what their 'insider' claimed two weeks ago,' according to Fox News. The representatives of Lively further noted that Justin Baldoni's team demanded access to Taylor Swift's messages, despite having already subpoenaed and then withdrawn that subpoena. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo They added that Baldoni has been fixated on dragging Taylor Swift's name into the case since August 2024, when the PR team led by Mellisa Nathan referred to Lively as a bully and in charge of influencing 'TS Fanbase.' 'We will continue to call out Baldoni's relentless efforts to exploit Ms Swift's popularity, which from day one has been nothing more than a distraction from the serious sexual harassment and retaliation accusations he and the Wayfarer parties are facing,' they added. Taylor Swift getting subpoenaed... Taylor Swift was previously subpoenaed by Justin Baldoni's legal team; however, it was abruptly withdrawn. The other sources claimed that the reason was that the information was voluntarily received.
New York Post
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Blake Lively loses bid to hide private texts with Taylor Swift in Justin Baldoni legal case
It's a cruel summer. Justin Baldoni can officially gain access to Blake Lively and Taylor Swift's private messages that pertain to 'It Ends With Us,' US District Judge Lewis Liman ruled on Wednesday. In court documents obtained by The Post, Judge Liman denied Lively's motion for a protective order to hide her messages with Swift, 35, from Baldoni, 41, amidst their ongoing legal battle. 11 Taylor Swift and Blake Lively at the 2024 Super Bowl. Getty Images 11 Justin Baldoni attends Variety Faith And Spirituality In Entertainment Honors in Beverly Hills in Dec. 2024. Variety via Getty Images The ruling stated that since Lively, 37, 'has represented that Swift had knowledge of complaints or discussions about the working environment on the film,' the requests for her messages with the 'Style' singer 'are reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively's harassment and retaliation claims.' But Judge Liman did note that the messages must be related to the 2024 film or Lively and Baldoni's legal case. 11 Blake Lively, Taylor Swift seen in SoHo in September 2023. GC Images He also stated that the parties' pre-exesting protective order will cover the messages to prevent them from leaking to the press. According to the ruling, Lively's lawyers made a proposal to Baldoni's team in which she would hand over all documents related to the case, except her messages with Swift, in return that Baldoni produced 'all video footage related to the film and full, unredacted versions of communication' listed in Baldoni's complaint. Baldoni's team ultimately declined Lively's bargain. 11 Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in 'It Ends With Us.' AP Lively's spokesperson told The Post in a statement: 'The Court outright denied the Wayfarer Parties' motion to compel documents from Ms. Lively, who has produced far more documents in this case than the Wayfarer Parties combined. Further, the Court's protective order ruling rests on the Wayfarer Parties' admission that they received nothing from Taylor Swift, which is exactly the opposite of what their 'insider' claimed two weeks ago.' 11 Blake Lively at the 'Another Simple Favor' screening in New York on April 27. WireImage 'As for the rest, Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties demanded access to Taylor Swift's private communications—despite having already subpoenaed and then withdrawn that subpoena,' the statement continued. 'Baldoni's desire to drag Taylor Swift into this has been constant dating back to August 2024, when the crisis PR firm led by Melissa Nathan included her in their 'Scenario Planning' document, referred to her as a bully, and called for a strategy to influence the 'TS fanbase.' We will continue to call out Baldoni's relentless efforts to exploit Ms Swift's popularity, which from day one has been nothing more than a distraction from the serious sexual harassment and retaliation accusations he and the Wayfarer parties are facing.' 11 Justin Baldoni at the 'It Ends With Us' premiere in New York in Aug. 2024. Adela Loconte/Shutterstock The Post has reached out to Baldoni's attorney and Swift's rep for comment. In May, Swift was subpoenaed as a witness by Baldoni's legal team in the never-ending 'It Ends With Us' legal nightmare. But in a shocking move by Baldoni's legal team, they dropped the subpoena on May 22 after a representative for Swift denied she had any involvement in the drama. 11 Blake Lively and Taylor Swift seen in New York City in Dec. 2023. GC Images '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 rep told The Post in response to the original subpoena. The 'Lover' singer was mentioned in Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against the actress and her husband Ryan Reynolds, in which Baldoni accused Lively of calling Swift and Reynolds, 48, her 'dragons' and referring to herself as Khaleesi from 'Game of Thrones' in an alleged text conversation. 11 Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively and Taylor Swift. Hugh Jackman/Instagram Baldoni further alleged that Swift was present for a pivotal meeting he had with Lively at her and Reynolds' NYC penthouse about rewriting the infamous 'It Ends With Us' rooftop scene. Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, later issued a letter to Judge Liman, claiming he was told by an anonymous source that Lively's lead lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, allegedly threatened to release Swift's text messages if the 'You Need to Calm Down' hitmaker didn't publicly support Blake. 11 Justin Baldoni at an event in Los Angeles in December 2024. Variety via Getty Images Gottlieb denied the allegations — and the judge granted Lively's motion to strike the letter, calling Freedman's filing 'improper' and 'irrelevant' in the order obtained by The Post. Lively and Swift's friendship has allegedly suffered due to the legal case. 'Even though Taylor has totally cut ties with her, Blake hasn't with Taylor,' a source recently told the Daily Mail, claiming that Lively has been 'ignoring' her former bestie, who is the godmother of Lively and Reynolds' three daughters. 11 Taylor Swift and Blake Lively at the 2024 Super Bowl. Getty Images The source further claimed that Swift is icing out Lively because she feels 'betrayed' and 'exploited' by the 'Gossip Girl' alum. The legal battle began when Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, claiming he sexually harassed her while filming 'It Ends With Us.' She also accused him of spearheading a smear campaign against her and of an intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. 11 Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively filming 'It Ends With Us' in New Jersey in Jan. 2024. Christopher Peterson / Baldoni, who denied the allegations, countersued Lively and Reynolds in January, alleging extortion and defamation. But the $400 million lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Liman earlier this month, as was Baldoni's $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. The legal case is still scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.
Time of India
14-06-2025
- 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. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 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. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now 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.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blake Lively Seeks Court Order to Block Justin Baldoni from Requesting Communications Between Her and Taylor Swift
Blake Lively's legal team is seeking a "protective order" against Justin Baldoni's, which opposes the Wayfarer Parties' requests for communications between her and Taylor Swift Per her lawyer, the requests have been a "tactic ... to make Ms. Swift and her fan base central to their media strategy against Ms. Lively," they allege An attorney for Baldoni did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for commentBlake Lively is seeking a protective order against Justin Baldoni's legal team regarding the Wayfarer Parties' "continuing demands" for her communications with Taylor Swift. According to the letter, obtained by PEOPLE, Baldoni's team "have pursed [these communications] at the same time they have refused to produce to Ms. Lively the documents they publicly claimed to have received as part of a deal to withdraw their subpoenas to Ms. Swift and her counsel." The letter is addressed to just Lewis J. Liman, from Per Lively's attorney Esra Hudson's letter, "Good cause exists for this request because it has been" a "tactic" of Baldoni's Wayfarer Parties "to make Ms. Swift and her fan base central to their media strategy against Ms. Lively." As a result of the above, Lively, 37, "respectfully requests that she be relieved from producing documents responsive to" related requests from Baldoni's team, per the letter. An attorney for Baldoni, 41, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment on Friday, June 13. Swift, 35, was previously roped into the Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al. case, but Baldoni dropped his document subpoena issued to the pop star last month, as mentioned in Hudson's new letter submitted to the court on Friday. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. A spokesperson for Lively tells PEOPLE, 'Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties are still demanding access to Taylor Swift's private communications — despite having already subpoenaed and then withdrawn that subpoena after they 'got all they needed.' As reflected in today's filing, their intent to drag Taylor Swift into this was evident as far back as August 2024, when the crisis PR firm led by Melissa Nathan included her in their 'Scenario Planning' document (Lively Amended Complaint, Exhibit D) and flagged the 'TS fanbase' as something to take 'extremely seriously' (Lively Amended Complaint, ¶214(b)). The ongoing attempts to once again try and use the world's biggest star as a PR tactic in this matter reflects a public unraveling of epic proportions — and serves only to distract from the fact that Justin Baldoni's lawsuits against Ms. Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, and the New York Times have been entirely dismissed." The letter comes after it was previously reported that Lively would subpoena Scooter Braun and HYBE, Braun's K-Pop corporation, on Thursday, June 12. As first reported by Deadline, a notice of the upcoming move was sent to HYBE on Tuesday, June 10. Per the outlet, the subpoenas will seek documents regarding crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan — who was previously named as a co-defendant in Lively's ongoing case against Baldoni — and the work Nathan did for the It Ends with Us actor-director. Braun, 43, has notably long been embroiled in legal battles with Lively's friend Swift regarding the latter's music masters, which she just regained control of in late May. Meanwhile, news of the Another Simple Favor actress's move against Braun came two days after Judge Liman dismissed the $400 million countersuit that Baldoni previously filed against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. Lively's lawyers Hudson and Mike Gottlieb called the decision a "total victory and a complete vindication" for her and the others whom "Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit." is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! In a statement obtained by PEOPLE Tuesday, Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman said Lively and her team's "predictable declaration of victory is false." He also said in an interview on TMZ Live that same day that he believes Judge Liman's decision is "not fair" or "right." "I think that [Justin is] a person who wants to be vindicated, and that's all that he cares about," the lawyer continued, in part. "He knows who he is. He knows what he's done. He knows what he hasn't done. And he wants the truth to come out, and he wants to do that in the appropriate way. ... He's waiting for his day in court, where he can speak out to tell the truth." Read the original article on People
