False alarm!
A New York judge has declined Justin Baldoni’s attempt to depose Taylor Swift late next month amid his enduring legal saga with her former best friend, Blake Lively.
On Friday, Judge Lewis J. Liman approved Lively’s bid to extend discovery to Oct. 10, but denied Baldoni’s attempt to push it a month past the initial Sept. 30 deadline, according to documents obtained by People.
Baldoni’s request, if approved, would have allowed his lawyers to depose the Grammy winner, who allegedly “agreed to appear for deposition,” but only after Oct. 20 due to “preexisting professional obligations,” according to a letter submitted by Baldoni’s team on Thursday.
Per People, a lawyer for the “Bad Blood” singer said in their own letter that day that Swift “did not agree to a deposition,” but if “forced” into one, “her schedule would accommodate the time required during the week of Oct. 20 if the parties were able to work out their disputes.”
Those disputes do not appear to have been worked out, at least from Baldoni’s side of things.
In late December, Lively accused her co-star/director of having sexually harassed her on the set of “It Ends With Us” before waging a retaliatory smear campaign.
Baldoni, who denies the allegations, then filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times for its deep-dive into Lively’s claims, as well as a $400 million defamation suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane.
Liman threw out both of Baldoni’s suits back in June, weeks after the latter first subpoenaed Swift. That subpoena was withdrawn in late May.
While Swift herself has not been accused of any wrongdoing, she’s been embroiled in the bitter battle ever since Baldoni referenced her in his countersuit. He cited a meeting at which Swift was allegedly in attendance, with Baldoni accusing Lively of trying to leverage the popstar’s celebrity status to take over creative control of the film.
His camp also publicized alleged texts from Lively, in which the “Gossip Girl” alum seemingly referred to Swift as one of her “dragons.”
In the months since, Swift has reportedly kept her distance from Lively, prompting speculation that her new song, “Ruin the Friendship” — off next month’s “Life of a Showgirl” album — could nod to their fractured dynamic.
Lively, who’s now seeking millions of dollars in damages and attorneys’ fees due to Baldoni’s “baseless” defamation suit, is expected to testify when her case goes to trial in March. Baldoni is also expected to take the stand.
