Justin Baldoni Drops Taylor Swift Subpoena in Blake Lively Lawsuit
Taylor Swift no longer has to worry about being dragged into Justin Baldoni's ongoing legal action against his It Ends With Us co-star, Blake Lively. The Wrap reports that on Thursday, he dropped his subpoena against the singer.
Baldoni had claimed that Swift was present at Lively's Tribeca penthouse during discussions of rewriting one of the movie's pivotal scenes. Baldoni's suit further claimed that Lively called Reynolds and Swift her 'dragons' à la Game of Thrones in a text message.
More from Rolling Stone
Neil Young Stands With Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen in Trump's Musician War: 'You Work for Us'
Taylor Swift's 'Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version)' Featured on 'The Handmaid's Tale'
Blake Lively's Lawyers Move to Penalize Justin Baldoni's Team After Taylor Swift Extortion Claim
A rep for Swift refuted this description of events earlier this month when news of the subpoena first 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,' the rep told Rolling Stone. The rep said the subpoena was 'designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.'
Swift's law firm, Venable, described the subpoena as an 'abuse of the discovery process.' 'There is no reason for this subpoena other than to distract from the facts of the case and impose undue burden and expense on a non-party,' it said in a statement.
Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, then alleged in a legal filing that Lively was attempting to extort a statement of support from Swift. He claimed that Lively's lawyers contacted Swift's legal team asking 'that Ms. Swift release a statement of support for Ms. Lively, intimating that, if Ms. Swift refused to do so, private text messages of a personal nature' would come out.
Lively's lawyer described these claims as 'categorically false.' Her legal team then moved to penalize Baldoni's team in the form of sanctions and fees over the extortion claim. Three days later, Baldoni's team withdrew the subpoena.
Freedman did not immediately return Rolling Stone's request for comment.
'We are pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm,' a rep for Lively said, according to the Wrap. '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.'
In December, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and spearheading a smear campaign against her; she filed a lawsuit before the year was up. He countersued in January, alleging defamation, extortion, and invasion of privacy. A trial is scheduled for March.
Best of Rolling Stone
The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time
Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best
70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
The Quiz #450 - Wax On, Wax Off.
Think you know Elle Woods? Time to prove that brains and beauty can go hand in hand. Take The Quiz: Movie Edition. Play. Share. Listen with former ABC News anchor & host of The Paula Faris Show podcast , Paula Faris.
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Is the Local Weed Store the New Place to Hang Out?
A cannabis dispensary might seem like an unlikely place to play mahjong, the Chinese tile game typically associated with older Asian and Jewish adults, but that's where Leah Flacco showed up on a recent Wednesday evening in Manhattan. The game has grown in popularity with younger generations, so at a table inside Alta Dispensary in NoLIta, Ms. Flacco, 36, shuffled and matched groups of tiles among friends and strangers. The event was one of a growing number taking place at New York's cannabis dispensaries, where retailers have been making space for people to socialize. 'We want more dispensaries to do these sorts of things,' Ms. Flacco, who works in financial technology, said. 'It's hard to make friends in this city.' From intimate classes to block parties, hosting events has given dispensaries in New York a way around rules limiting their ability to market their businesses. As many Americans choose to drink less alcohol and seek connection offline, the activities allow the sellers to offer places where people can gather. Dispensary owners also hope that some of the visitors will become customers and that the events will help their businesses gain acceptance among neighbors who might still hold negative views of cannabis. Meredith Nydam, 37, said she had invited her friends, including Ms. Flacco, to mahjong night because she wanted to do something other than a happy hour. 'I don't need to go to a bar,' Ms. Nydam said. 'I can come here.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Simone Ashley Is Being Praised For Showing Up To The 'F1' Movie Premiere Despite Being Drastically Cut From The Film
Earlier this month, the director of F1: The Movie, Joseph Kosinski, sparked backlash after confirming that Simone Ashley's role had been drastically cut from the final edit. For context, news broke last July that Simone had been cast in the Formula 1 movie, which stars Brad Pitt and Damson Idris. Brad plays veteran driver Sonny Hayes, who comes out of retirement to race rookie Joshua Pearce, played by Damson. The film will be released in theaters this week. Not only was Simone spotted filming scenes with Damson multiple times, but she also made an appearance at the Miami Grand Prix in May, sparking a heap of buzz around her upcoming role. And so, as you can imagine, fans were extremely disappointed when director Joseph revealed that Simone's storyline 'ultimately didn't make it into the final cut.' Related: Keke Palmer's "Sickening" Dress Has The Internet In Shambles 'It happens on every film, where you have to shoot more than you can use. There were two or three storylines that ultimately didn't make it into the final cut,' he told People. 'But Simone, she's an incredible talent, incredible actress, incredible singer, and I would love to work with her again.' After Joseph's comments went viral, several internet users wound up discussing other times that actors of color have been sidelined in the industry. One popular tweet read, 'There's a pattern in Hollywood of casting actors of color, only to minimize, sideline or exclude their presence.' Twitter: @chrkrose Related: 31 Celebrity Slip-Ups On Social Media That Revealed Wayyyy More Than They Ever Intended However, in spite of everything, Simone recently showed her support for the film as she stepped out at the European premiere in London this week. The Bridgerton star wore a metallic-looking gold outfit at the Monday night event, and it's safe to say that she looked absolutely stunning. And while it's likely that Simone was contractually obligated to attend the premiere, numerous fans couldn't help but marvel over her professionalism and grace as they heaped praise onto the actor. 'She's a professional! I won't be watching the movie… but I hope she gets more opportunities she deserves it,' one user wrote. 'even after that disrespect… Simone is just superior,' someone tweeted. 'She better than me. You cut my scenes from a movie and I am not showing up to the premier,' another user wrote. 'She's so graceful. I would not have given them a single ounce of publicity after the stunt they pulled,' one more post read. Simone later shared a bunch of photos from the premiere to her Instagram page, writing: "Last night at the F1 premiere in my hometown ✨ It was a joy to reunite with the cast and crew, and to celebrate - I couldn't have been prouder watching everyone shine on screen and on the carpet, all while wearing my couture @balmain gown that made me feel just as radiant. I've come away with friendships and memories I'll treasure forever. 💛 Go see this movie! — it's a must see ride and speed like you've never seen before!" More on this After Simone Ashley's Erasure From The 'F1' Movie Sparked A Conversation About Hollywood's Treatment Of Actors Of Color, The Director Has Spoken OutEllen Durney · June 17, 2025 Damson Idris Sheds Light On Simone Ashley's Role Being Cut From "F1"Benjamin Dzialdowski · June 23, 2025 After Years Of Shooting At Actual Formula 1 Races, The Full 'F1' Movie Trailer Just Dropped — And The Behind-The-Scenes Details Will Blow Your MindEllen Durney · March 13, 2025 Also in Celebrity: You Have Excellent Facial Recognition If You Can Recognize These 12 Celebrities As Kids Also in Celebrity: Courtney Stodden Did A Face Reveal After Dissolving Her Fillers And She Looks Really Different Now Also in Celebrity: 26 Pairs Of Celebrities Who Look Sooo Much Alike, It's A Little Uncanny
