Blake Lively’s legal team has unequivocally denied the claim that the actor pressured pop superstar Taylor Swift to publicly support her by threatening to leak private text messages.
Last week, Swift was subpoenaed as a witness in the ongoing legal battle between Lively and Justin Baldoni.
Baldoni and Lively are involved in several legal actions related to her claim that she was sexually harassed by the director during production of their film It Ends With Us, and his claim that she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, attempted to destroy his career.
In a letter to the judge explaining why he believed it was necessary to subpoena Swift, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman claimed a “source who is highly likely to have reliable information” made the allegations about Lively, which he described as “extortionate threats.”
In a statement to People, Lively’s attorney Mike Gottlieb said: “This is categorically false.
“We unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations, which are cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality.”
Referring to Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios, Gottlieb continued: “This is what we have come to expect from the Wayfarer parties’ lawyers, who appear to love nothing more than shooting first, without any evidence, and with no care for the people they are harming in the process.
“We will imminently file motions with the court to hold these attorneys accountable for their misconduct here.”
Last week, a spokesperson for Swift told The Independent that the singer’s only connection to the film was that her song “My Tears Ricochet” was used on the soundtrack.
The spokesperson continued: “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 traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.
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“The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, ‘My Tears Ricochet.’
“Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
It was reported last month that Swift, as well as Reynolds’ friend and co-star Hugh Jackman, could be subpoenaed in the ongoing legal battle.
Lawyers for both Lively and Baldoni have confirmed that their clients will testify at the trial, which is scheduled for March 2026. Cameras will not be allowed inside the courtroom.
