Blake Lively has filed a motion to prevent Justin Baldoni from obtaining text messages and other communications between herself and Taylor Swift, hoping to remove her estranged bestie from the ongoing legal feud once and for all.
Swift had previously been subpoenaed as a witness in the battle between the former co-stars, with Baldoni’s attorneys claiming that she likely had information pertaining to the case. The subpoena was withdrawn roughly two weeks later amid objections from Swift’s team, but that seemingly hasn’t stopped Baldoni from seeking evidence from the pop star.
Lawyers for Lively filed the motion for a protective order on Friday, asking the judge to block Baldoni from obtaining their texts, which they say have nothing to do with the case.
“Ms. Swift is not central to Ms. Lively’s claims (unlike dozens of other witnesses she identified who the Wayfarer Parties have largely ignored), and is otherwise irrelevant” to the case, they wrote in a letter to Judge Lewis J. Liman.
The motion further addresses Baldoni’s “continuing demands for Ms. Lively’s communications with Taylor Swift,” even as he and his parties “have refused” to share documents they allegedly received from Swift. Baldoni’s attorneys have claimed the Grammy winner voluntarily handed over information as part of a deal to withdraw the subpoena, which Lively and Swift’s teams have both denied.
The letter insists that if Baldoni’s side did in fact get “exactly what they were seeking” from Swift, then they “do not need any evidence in addition to what they have obtained.”
Lively’s lawyers maintain that Baldoni’s preoccupation with involving Swift is simply “a media strategy” meant to exploit the world’s biggest star in order to produce sensational stories about Lively. They claim the tactic is merely a means to distract the public from Lively’s original lawsuit and the fact that Baldoni’s countersuit against her was dismissed.
Lively in December accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us,” a film that he directed and in which they both star. Lively claims that following the alleged harassment, Baldoni launched a smear campaign against her, as reported in-depth by The New York Times.
In response, Baldoni filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The Times, which was quickly followed by a $400 million defamation and civil extortion suit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane.
Among his many allegations, Baldoni has claimed Lively used any and all means to pressure him into giving over creative control of the film, including leveraging Swift’s star status. Baldoni’s suit cited a particularly heated meeting over rewrites to the script at which Swift was said to be present. He also referenced texts from Lively in which she allegedly referred to Swift as one of her “dragons.”
Lively’s latest attempt to remove Swift from the case — and repair the fallout that’s happened as a result of her getting dragged into the mess — comes just days after Judge Liman tossed both of Baldoni’s suits. His lawyer has signaled that he’ll take Liman up on an offer to amend the claims by June 23 for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract.
Lively’s suit is still set for a March 2026 trial.
