Despite attempts from both Blake Lively and Taylor Swift’s teams, the singer hasn’t dodged the It Ends With Us case entirely. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ruled that texts between pals Swift and Lively, at least any that specifically pertained to the movie and its behind-the-scenes drama, should be turned over to Justin Baldoni’s legal team. Lively’s side has repeatedly accused Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios partners of shameless PR when it comes to dragging Swift into the muck. But, as Judge Liman wrote (via Variety), “A motion or request may be, and in this case often has been, both a legitimate litigation tactic and an attempt to maneuver in the broader court of public opinion.”
And so: “Given that Lively has represented that Swift had knowledge of complaints or discussions about the working environment on the film, among other issues, the requests for messages with Swift regarding the film and this action are reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively’s harassment and retaliation claims,” the judge wrote in his ruling.
Swift’s name has been bandied about frequently in the case, as Baldoni alleged that the Grammy winner was present during one meeting he had with Lively and Ryan Reynolds about the movie (he represented this meeting as a way for Lively to intimidate him into making the film her way). Baldoni’s team tried to subpoena Swift, but dropped the idea after pushback from Swift, Lively, and the court; his lawyer had also alleged that Lively was extorting Swift for public support in the case (which she has not offered). The extortion claims were struck from the record and Baldoni’s team was admonished for trying to stir up public scandal.
Notoriously private, Swift’s supposed unhappiness about being shoehorned into the drama has allegedly damaged her longterm friendship with Blake Lively, if the tabloids are to be believed. According to Variety, the texts will be under protective order to prevent them from leaking to the press. “Baldoni’s desire to drag Taylor Swift into this has been constant dating back to August 2024 … a strategy to influence the ‘TS fanbase,’” a spokesperson for Lively told NBC News in the wake of the judge’s latest text message ruling. “We will continue to call out Baldoni’s relentless efforts to exploit Ms Swift’s popularity, which from day one has been nothing more than a distraction from the serious sexual harassment and retaliation accusations he and the Wayfarer parties are facing.”
