Taylor Swift subpoena dropped in legal war with Lively and Baldoni

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Taylor Swift is no longer expected to testify in her pal Blake Lively’s upcoming courtroom battle with Justin Baldoni.

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The pop star had been subpoenaed, but the legal tactic has been dropped by Baldoni’s lawyers.

A representative for Lively applauded the move, saying that they are “pleased” Baldoni’s counsel has “withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm.”

“We are pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm,” Lively’s advisors said in a statement to Fox News, Variety and PEOPLE. “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. 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 centre of this case since day one.”

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The statement went on to further charge Baldoni’s lawyers with trying to exploit “Taylor Swift’s celebrity” to bolster their case. “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,” Lively’s rep concluded.

Last December, Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment on the set of their movie It Ends With Us and claimed he tried to damage her reputation as part of a smear campaign following a meeting in which she and her husband Ryan Reynolds addressed “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behaviour” by the Jane the Virgin star and producers on the film.

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Baldoni’s plan, Lively’s complaint said, included a proposal to plant rumours on online message boards, engineer a social media campaign and orchestrate news stories critical of the actress. The complaint also accused Baldoni of using “domestic violence ‘survivor content’ to protect his public image.”

According to the Washington Post, Lively’s lawsuit further alleged that Baldoni “flouted intimacy protocols on set, improvising kisses in scenes without an intimacy coordinator present and trying to add sexual or nude scenes she found unnecessary.”

After Lively’s suit was filed, Baldoni announced he was suing both her and Reynolds and the New York Times for defamation and extortion.

The suit seeks at least $400 million for damages that include lost future income. 

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“This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio,” the suit said, according to the Associated Press. “Then, when Lively and Reynolds’ efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat.”

The dueling claims have divided fans of the two stars of the Colleen Hoover book adaptation.

“Time and time again, she accuses him of doing something, which then when you hear the full context, is an absolute nothing burger!” conservative podcast host Megyn Kelly said after his footage was released. “She alleges that she’s a MeToo victim. That’s absurd!”

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Joe Rogan said Lively and Reynolds “f—ed up” and accused the Hollywood power couple of trying to topple a “sweet, nice guy.”

According to Entertainment Weekly, Baldoni’s lawyers subpoenaed Swift alleging that Lively asked the singer to delete text messages between them. Baldoni’s legal team also claimed that the actress’ attorney, Mark Gottlieb, “attempted to intimidate Swift into publicly backing Lively.”

Gottlieb called the assertions “categorically false.”

After Swift was subpoenaed, a firm representing the Cruel Summer singer said she was irrelevant to the case and insisted her only involvement with It Ends With Us was to allow the use of her song My Tears Ricochet in the trailer and one scene from the movie.

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“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 travelling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history,” a representative for Swift told Fox News.

As the legal drama continues to unfold ahead of a 2026 trial date, sources tell the Daily Mail that Swift has pulled away from Lively.

“Right now, if Taylor had one wish it would be that she never met Blake,” an insider claimed to the outlet.

“Although there have been good times during their relationship, the issues now concerning the Baldoni case have outweighed them.”

Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, also recently unfollowed Reynolds on Instagram.

“Taylor and Travis are disgusted with Blake and Ryan and how they tried to use Taylor in their fight against Justin Baldoni,” the source added. “They’re vowing their break from the acting couple is permanent.”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

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