Taylor Swift found herself ensnared once again in the fiery legal dispute between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively, following the dismissal of her subpoena to testify in court. On Wednesday, US District Judge Lewis Liman issued a ruling that empowered the star of "Jane the Virgin" to seek out communications between the singer and Lively, pertaining to their involvement in the 2024 film adaptation of "It Ends With Us," as per documents procured by Page Six.
Judge Liman reasoned, "The solicitation for messages involving Swift, concerning both the film and this legal proceeding, is judiciously designed to uncover information that could either substantiate or refute Lively's allegations of harassment and retaliation." However, these communications must strictly pertain to the movie, adapted from Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel, or to the ongoing legal battle between Lively, 37, and Baldoni.
In a strategic maneuver, the legal team representing the "Gossip Girl" star attempted to broker a deal with Baldoni's counsel, proposing to surrender any requested documents, excluding Swift's text messages, in exchange for "all video footage pertinent to the film and unexpurgated versions of communications" listed in Baldoni's complaint. Baldoni's attorney, however, declined this offer.
Representatives for Swift and Lively were unavailable for immediate comment to Page Six regarding the judge's decision. This ruling followed Lively's plea to the court on Friday to safeguard her conversations with Swift, 35.
According to court papers acquired by Page Six, the "Age of Adaline" actress contended that these messages were "peripheral" to the case, which encompasses her December lawsuit accusing Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment and orchestrating a slander campaign aimed at derailing her career.
Swift was initially pulled into this legal maelstrom in January, when she was mentioned in Baldoni's $400 million countersuit, which has since been dismissed. In his filing, the director of "Five Feet Apart" accused the actress of leveraging the influence of the "Lover" crooner and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to exert her will on the set of "It Ends With Us."
Baldoni claimed that he had been summoned to the opulent residence of the A-list duo, where an esteemed and "inseparable friend" was also in attendance, gathering to deliberate meticulously on "revisions to a screenplay." Baldoni's legal representative, Bryan Freedman, cited alleged textual conversations between his client and Lively, hinting that Swift and the 48-year-old Reynolds had taken on the roles of her "guardians" and shielders.The message could not have been more unequivocal. Baldoni found himself entangled not merely with Lively but also with her formidable "dragons" — two of the world's most influential and affluent celebrities, who were unwavering in their resolve to make his path thorny and challenging," Freedman asserted. In May, Swift was summoned as a witness for the March 2026 trial, albeit the summons was subsequently withdrawn. This legal saga has created a wedge between the pop sensation and Lively, with a well-informed source disclosing to Page Six that Swift harbors an eternal fury towards the actress for dragging her into this messy quagmire.
