The legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has escalated dramatically, with pop superstar Taylor Swift now drawn into the contentious dispute surrounding their film It Ends With Us.
In court documents filed Wednesday, Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman made explosive allegations that Lively pressured Swift to delete personal text messages between them.
The filing further claims that Lively's legal team attempted to coerce Swift into making a public statement supporting Lively, with implied threats that private messages would be released if she refused.
Lively's attorneys have vehemently denied these accusations, calling them "categorically false" and based solely on anonymous sources without supporting evidence.
Blake Lively and Taylor Swift have been good pals for years
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Freedman's letter to the court alleged that Swift's subpoena was justified because it "aims to obtain discovery relating to witness tampering and evidence spoliation."
According to court documents, Freedman claimed an unnamed "source who is highly likely to have reliable information" told Baldoni's team that "Ms Lively requested that Taylor Swift delete their text messages."
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Blake Lively and Taylor Swift have been pictured together numerous times over the years
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The filing further alleged that Michael Gottlieb, Lively's attorney, contacted Swift's legal representation at Venable and "demanded that Ms Swift release a statement of support for Ms Lively."
This demand reportedly came with the implication that "if Ms Swift refused to do so, private text messages of a personal nature in Ms Lively's possession would be released."
Freedman characterised these actions as "an attempt to intimidate and coerce a percipient witness in this litigation."
Lively's legal team responded forcefully to these allegations, with attorney Michael Gottlieb issuing a statement calling the claims "categorically false."
"We unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations, which are cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality," Gottlieb said.
Lively's camp filed their own letter to Judge Lewis J Liman requesting Freedman's accusations be struck from the record.
Attorney Esra Hudson wrote that the allegations were made "without any evidentiary support of any kind" and were "unequivocally and demonstrably false."
Gottlieb added that Lively's team would "imminently file motions with the court to hold these attorneys accountable for their misconduct here."
Justin Baldoni has denied Lively's claims against him GETTYSwift's representatives have emphasised her minimal connection to the film at the center of the dispute. "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," a spokesperson stated.
The statement continued that Swift "never saw an edit or made any notes on the film" and "did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release."
According to Swift's team, her only involvement was "permitting the use of one song, My Tears Ricochet" - one of 20 artists who licensed music for the film.
Swift's representatives argued the subpoena "is designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait."
The ongoing legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni began in December when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment during production.
Her allegations included claims of "disturbing" and "unprofessional" behavior on set and accusations that Baldoni orchestrated a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Lively later filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in New York federal court.
Baldoni has consistently denied these allegations and filed a countersuit in January alleging defamation and extortion against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicity team.
The suit reportedly seeks £400 million in damages. Court documents revealed text messages between the co-stars, including one where Lively allegedly referred to Swift and Reynolds as her "dragons."
Blake Lively starred in It Ends With Us opposite Justin Baldoni
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The trial between Lively and Baldoni is scheduled for March 2026, with both parties confirmed to testify in court.
Legal representatives for both sides have acknowledged their clients will appear at the trial, which is expected to draw significant media attention. According to court documents, cameras will not be permitted inside the courtroom during proceedings.
The subpoena issued to Swift last Saturday has been challenged by both Swift's and Lively's legal teams, who have requested it be quashed in the District of Columbia.
They argue the pop star is irrelevant to the core issues of the case despite Baldoni's team's insistence on her potential importance as a witness.
