May 23, 2025 07:14 AM IST
Taylor Swift is no longer bound to appear in court after Justin Baldoni dropped a subpoena against her in his legal battle against Blake Lively.
Taylor Swift can breathe a big sigh of relief. The subpoena against the singer in the ongoing legal drama between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has been dropped. Blake’s legal team confirmed the surprise development in a statement to the press and claimed this as a big win. (Also read: Blake Lively reacts to Justin Baldoni’s ‘cowardly’ claim that she tried to intimidate Taylor Swift into supporting her)
Baldoni drops Taylor Swift subpoena
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni had worked together on It Ends With Us last year. Following the film’s release, Blake sued Justin for sexual harassment and creating a toxic work environment. Justin Baldoni then counter-sued Blake and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation and allegedly orchestrating a smear campaign against him. In his case against Blake, Baldoni had issued a subpoena to Taylor Swift, one of Blake Lively’s closest friends in the industry.
A spokesperson for Blake Lively told People magazine in a statement, “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 spokesperson called the subpoena an effort to exploit Taylor’s celebrity and added that it being dropped shows it was unjust. “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. Exploiting Taylor Swift’s celebrity was the original plan in Melissa Nathan’s scenario planning document, and it continues to this day. 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.”
Taylor Swift’s statement
Earlier this month, after the subpoena had been issued, Taylor had released a statement saying she had no connection with It Ends With Us. “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,” Swift’s rep said.
The trial for Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al., which will cover both lawsuits, is scheduled for March 2026.
