Latest news with #BlakeLively
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Judge denies Blake Lively's motion to keep texts with Taylor Swift confidential
Some of Blake Lively's text messages with friend Taylor Swift could be disclosed in court, in a recent development of the actor's winding legal battle against her "It Ends With Us" co-star Justin Baldoni. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman on Wednesday filed an order denying the "Gossip Girl" alumna's request to keep her messages with Swift out of litigation, according to legal documents reviewed by The Times. "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," reads the order. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios filed a request for production connected to the Lively-Swift texts in February, asking for "'all documents and communications related to or reflecting Lively's communications with Taylor Swift" about their 2024 romantic drama and subsequent legal proceedings. Read more: Judge tosses Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and New York Times The "It Ends With Us" co-stars have engaged in a legal back-and-forth for months after Lively accused director Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of the film and accused his team of orchestrating a smear campaign against her in December. The allegations first surfaced in a report from the New York Times. She formally sued Baldoni in federal court on Dec. 31. Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs — including his crisis PR team and executives at Wayfarer Studios — hit back that same day with a $400-million countersuit against Lively and her husband, "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds, and a separate defamation complaint against the New York Times. Liman dismissed Baldoni's complaints, which failed to meet legal standards, earlier this month. The judge said in his Wednesday order that "Lively's motion is rooted in the broader concern that the Wayfarer Parties are using demands for communications with Swift not 'to obtain information relevant to claims and defenses in court, but to prop up a public relations narrative outside of court.' " Wednesday's order also denied Baldoni's cross-motion to compel Lively to produce documents connected to the production. Read more: Blake Lively drops two claims of emotional distress against Justin Baldoni Baldoni's team subpoenaed Swift earlier this year but eventually withdrew it after the singer and her legal reps dismissed it as an "unwarranted fishing expedition," according to Variety. In a statement shared with multiple outlets, a representative for Lively reacted to this week's order, claiming, "Baldoni's desire to drag Taylor Swift into this has been constant dating back to August 2024" and is an effort to influence the singer's fan base. In the past, the devoted league of Swift supporters known as Swifites have banded together to criticize the singer's high-profile exes and in recent years, rallied against Ticketmaster over allegations of fraud, price-fixing and antitrust violations. "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," the spokesperson added, according to People. Representatives for Swift and Baldoni did not immediately respond to The Times' request for comment. Get notified when the biggest stories in Hollywood, culture and entertainment go live. Sign up for L.A. Times entertainment alerts. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
News.com.au
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Justin Baldoni gains access to Taylor Swift and Blake Lively's private texts in legal victory
Taylor Swift got dragged back into Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's It Ends With Us feud after her subpoena to appear in court was dismissed. US District Judge Lewis Liman ruled on Wednesday that Baldoni can request communications between the singer and Lively concerning the 2024 domestic violence film, according to documents obtained by Page Six. '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,' Liman claimed. The messages, however, must be about the film based on Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel of the same name, or Lively, 37, and Baldoni's ongoing legal challenge. The Gossip Girl star's lawyers attempted to bargain with Baldoni's team, saying they would hand over any documents the latter's attorneys desire, but not Swift's text messages, in return for 'all video footage related to the film and full, unredacted versions of communication' listed in Baldoni's complaint. Baldoni's lawyer denied the agreement. Reps for Swift and Lively weren't immediately available to Page Six for comment. The judge's ruling comes after Lively asked the court to protect her messages with Swift, 35, on Friday. According to court documents obtained by Page Six, the Age of Adaline star argued that the messages are 'not central' to the case, including her December lawsuit accusing Baldoni, 41, of sexual harassment and co-ordinating a smear campaign to ruin her career. Swift was dragged into the director and Lively's legal drama in January, when she was mentioned in Baldoni's $US400 million counter lawsuit, which has since been dismissed. Per the filing, Baldoni accused the actress of using the songstress and her husband Ryan Reynolds' status to get her way on the It Ends With Us set. Baldoni alleged he was invited to the A-list couple's home, where 'a famous, and famously close, friend' was also present to discuss 'script rewrites.' Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, cited alleged text messages between his client and Lively, which stated that Swift and Reynolds, 48, were her 'dragons' and protectors. 'The message could not have been clearer. Baldoni was not just dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively's 'dragons,' two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world, who were not afraid to make things very difficult for him,' Freedman claimed. In May, Swift was subpoenaed as a witness in the March 2026 trial, though the request was later dropped. The legal drama has caused a rift between the pop icon and Lively, with an insider telling Page Six that Swift will 'forever be furious' at the actress for bringing her into the mess.
News.com.au
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Blake Lively fails in bid to keep Taylor Swift's texts from Justin Baldoni
A judge has denied Blake Lively's motion for a protective order to keep her communications with Taylor Swift regarding It Ends With Us out of Justin Baldoni's hands. In new documents obtained by People magazine, Judge Lewis J Liman denied the order on Wednesday. Baldoni's legal team previously subpoenaed Swift in the ongoing It Ends With Us lawsuit, although the subpoena was later withdrawn. Baldoni's defence then continued to allegedly "demand" access to records of Lively's communications with Swift. The new documents suggest that Baldoni's legal team alleges they have not received access to Swift's communications with Lively, which they now deem necessary to the lawsuit.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Blake Lively fails in bid to keep Taylor Swift's texts from Justin Baldoni
A judge has denied Blake Lively's motion for a protective order to keep her communications with Taylor Swift regarding It Ends With Us out of Justin Baldoni's hands. In new documents obtained by People magazine, Judge Lewis J Liman denied the order on Wednesday. Baldoni's legal team previously subpoenaed Swift in the ongoing It Ends With Us lawsuit, although the subpoena was later withdrawn. Baldoni's defence then continued to allegedly "demand" access to records of Lively's communications with Swift. The new documents suggest that Baldoni's legal team alleges they have not received access to Swift's communications with Lively, which they now deem necessary to the lawsuit.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blake Lively Subpoenas Scooter Braun Amid Ongoing Legal Battle With Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively is serving Scooter Braun and Hybe America, where he serves as CEO, with subpoenas in her ongoing lawsuit against It Ends With Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Hybe Corp., the South Korean entertainment giant, has an investment stake in The Agency Group (TAG), the publicity firm founded by crisis PR veteran Melissa Nathan, who was brought aboard to represent Baldoni around the time of the movie's release in late summer 2024. Months later, Nathan was among those named in a lawsuit filed by Lively alleging that Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer retaliated against her by weaponizing social media after she raised claims of sexual harassment. More from The Hollywood Reporter Scooter Braun Admits He Has "a Lot of Guilt" After Working With "So Many Young Artists" Justin Baldoni's $400 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against Blake Lively Tossed Out Bill Maher Compares Musk vs. Trump Rift to 'It Ends With Us' Legal Battle: "Winner Faces Blake Lively" Braun's entry into the high-profile case comes only two days after a federal judge in New York granted a motion to dismiss Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, personal publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. Lively's original lawsuit, which began as a complaint first filed with the California Civil Rights Commission, remains set for trial March 9, 2026. In subpoenaing Braun and Hybe America, her legal team appears to be attempting to gather further information regarding Nathan. (Braun has not commented on the legal matter.) Braun and Baldoni have been friendly in the past, and once spoke together on Podcast about the #MeToo movement. (A source, however, says Braun has never seen It Ends With Us.) Lively and Braun share another another person in common, albeit under very different circumstances — Taylor Swift, who has been a longtime friend of Lively's. The same can't be said of Braun, whose business dealings as related to his acquisition of Big Machine Records and, with it, ownership of Swift's catalog of master recordings, drove a public wedge between the two music moguls in 2019. In a recent interview, Braun recalled the moment he saw Swift's Tumblr post where she said learning he had control of her catalog was her 'worst case scenario' after 'incessant, manipulative bullying I've received at his hands for years.' The sale led the Grammy winner to re-record and release all but two of her initial six records. Braun's comments came a few weeks after Swift bought back her catalog for her first six albums in a deal with Shamrock Capital. Like Braun, Swift has also been caught up in the Baldoni-Lively battle. She gave permission to use one of her songs in Lively's cut of the film, and also faced the prospect of having to testify regarding her role in supporting Lively's script changes to the movie's opening scene. (In an email exchange between Lively and Baldoni that was was made public in legal filings, Lively referred to Reynolds and Swift as her 'dragons.') While Lively's legal team declared Monday's ruling a 'total victory,' Judge Lewis J. Liman of the Southern District did leave the door open for Wayfarer and Baldoni's legal team, led by Bryan Freedman, to file an amended lawsuit relating to limited contractual obligations. He also denied a request that Freedman's side be ordered to pay legal fees, albeit without prejudice. In his response to the ruling, Freedman said that 'while the Court dismissed the defamation related claims, the Court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations. This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)
