Introduction to the Case
A judge has decided that messages between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift can be handed over to Justin Baldoni as part of his ongoing legal dispute with the actress. The communication between Lively and her friend Swift about the environment on the US film set is relevant to the case, according to US district judge Lewis Liman.
Background of the Dispute
Lively had applied to prevent Baldoni from receiving the messages, arguing that they were irrelevant. She sued Baldoni and his studio in December, claiming that she had been sexually harassed on the set and that he had led a campaign to "destroy" her reputation. He counter-sued, but his defamation claim was rejected by a judge last week.
Attempts to Obtain Messages
In May, Baldoni’s lawyers tried to obtain the messages directly from Swift by sending subpoenas to the pop star and her legal team. However, the subpoenas were dropped after Swift’s legal team objected to an "unjustified fishing expedition". Lively then tried to prevent Baldoni from accessing the messages through the usual discovery process.
Judge’s Decision
The judge wrote that "in light of the fact that Lively has shown that Swift has knowledge of complaints or discussions about the work environment on the film, among other things, the inquiries about messages with Swift and this action are appropriately tailored to discover information that would prove or refute Lively’s harassment and retaliation claims". This decision allows Baldoni to access the messages between Lively and Swift.
Reaction to the Decision
A spokesman for Lively told Billboard that the actress had "produced far more documents" than Baldoni. They added that Baldoni and his publicity team had tried to drag Taylor Swift into the saga since last summer. The spokesman stated, "We will continue to call out the tireless efforts of Baldoni to use Ms. Swift’s popularity, which from day one was only a distraction from the serious sexual harassment and retaliation allegations [against the studio]".
Previous Developments
Previously, Swift’s representative told the BBC that she was brought into the legal line to create "Boulevard-Clickbait". It was originally reported that Swift had been subpoenaed to provide information after it was claimed that she tried to put pressure on Baldoni to accept script changes with Lively for the film. Baldoni had claimed that he was invited to meet Lively at her New York home to discuss script changes, where Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds and Swift were present to serve as "dragons".
Conclusion
The case is set to go to trial in March 2026. A representative of Baldoni refused to comment on the decision, and Swift’s representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comments. The judge’s decision allows the case to move forward, with the messages between Lively and Swift potentially playing a key role in the trial.
