Taylor Swift has been removed from a legal case involving actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, after a subpoena issued to the singer was withdrawn.
Lively and Baldoni, who co-starred in the 2024 film It Ends With Us, are currently engaged in a legal dispute. Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and a smear campaign.
Baldoni has denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim, accusing Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, of civil extortion and defamation.
As part of the legal process, Baldoni’s legal team issued subpoenas to Swift and her attorneys in an effort to obtain communications between Swift and Lively’s legal representatives who are friends,According to Variety.
But the subpoena was dropped after Swift’s legal team objected that the legal order amounted to an “unwarranted fishing expedition,”Variety said.
The subpoena has since been withdrawn. A spokesperson for Lively said they were “pleased” with the decision and emphasised support for Swift’s legal team in opposing the request.
“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,” they said.
Earlier this month,Swift’s representatives stated that the attempt to involve her in the case appeared to be aimed at generating “tabloid clickbait.”
The court order originally followed allegations that Swift had pressured Baldoni to accept script changes by Lively. Swift’s team denied this, saying she had no creative role in the film and was not involved in casting or editing.
Baldoni had said he was invited to Lively’s New York home in 2023 to discuss script changes, where Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, and Swift were there to serve as her “dragons.”
In response, Swift’s representatives said “she was not involved in any casting or creative decision” and “never saw an edit or made any notes on the film.”
Variety has now reported that Baldoni’s lawyers were using the subpoena to try to get messages relating to an allegation that Lively’s representatives had threatened to release old text messages if Swift didn’t issue a statement supporting her.
Lively’s lawyers denied those allegations as “unequivocally and demonstrably false.”
Lively’s spokesperson said, “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.
“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.”
Baldoni is counter-suing Lively and Reynolds on claims of civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy.
Erizia Rubyjeana
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