A New York judge has ruled that Justin Baldoni can obtain messages exchanged between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift, which could be crucial to his ongoing lawsuit linked to the film "It Ends With Us”.
Image: Bang Showbiz
In a significant legal victory for director Justin Baldoni, a New York judge has ruled that he can obtain messages exchanged between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift, which could be crucial to his ongoing lawsuit linked to the film "It Ends With Us”.
Judge Lewis L. Liman deemed these communications "relevant" as the case unfolds, highlighting their potential to either prove or disprove allegations made by Lively.
On June 18, Judge Liman stated, "Lively herself has identified Swift as someone likely to know about complaints or discussions regarding the working environment on the set of ‘It Ends With Us’," according to E! News.
This ruling follows Lively's plea for the court to shield her conversations with the pop star from scrutiny.
While Swift's subpoena to appear in court was dismissed, Baldoni's legal team expressed that messages between the two actresses could provide insights into Lively's claims of harassment and retaliation, which have been central to the litigation.
The court has ordered that a protective order be established covering any correspondence to ensure that information does not leak to the media.
The case took a complex turn last month when Baldoni sought to subpoena Swift herself, claiming Lively had used her friendship with the pop star to gain more creative control over the film project.
Swift's spokesperson impulsively rejected this notion, emphasising that Swift's only involvement with the film was to license a song - an act that she shared with 19 other artists.
Following this denial, Baldoni quickly withdrew the subpoena request.
This development arrives just one week after a judge dismissed Baldoni's ambitious $400 million (around R7 billion) defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Lively heralded the dismissal as “a total victory and a complete vindication".
Nevertheless, Baldoni remains resolute, having successfully filed an amended complaint against both Lively and Reynolds, alleging unlawful interference with the contract and asserting additional claims against Lively for breach of the implied covenant.
Responding in a statement to CNN, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, expressed confidence in the case moving forward, saying, “The court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations.”
He underlined that the case centres on “false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a non-existent smear campaign”.
Freedman added, “With the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking.”