Latest news with #Wayfarer
Time of India
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Taylor Swift's texts exposed in Blake Lively court loss — will this strain the popstar's relationship with Travis Kelce?
In a dramatic legal twist involving the upcoming film It Ends With Us, a judge has denied 's motion to keep her private messages with pop icon out of reach from 's legal team. The decision, handed down by Judge Lewis J. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Liman on June 18, 2025, underscores how deeply celebrity communications are becoming entangled in this high-profile legal showdown. Judge rejects Blake Lively's request to keep Taylor Swift texts private in explosive 'It Ends With Us' legal battle While Justin Baldoni initially subpoenaed Taylor Swift in connection with the harassment and retaliation lawsuit surrounding the production, the subpoena was later withdrawn. However, his team continued pressing for access to Blake Lively's conversations with Swift, arguing they were vital to understanding the environment on set and could potentially validate or refute Lively's allegations. Judge Liman ruled against both Lively's protective order and Baldoni's own cross-motion, stating, '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.'' Lively's representative issued a strongly worded statement in response: '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 same representative pointed to earlier attempts by Baldoni's team to manipulate Swift's massive fan base, referencing a crisis PR strategy document that allegedly called her a 'bully' and encouraged a plan to sway public opinion by weaponizing her image. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Despite the judge's rejection of both motions, the legal tension remains high. The court acknowledged that Lively had represented Swift as having knowledge of conversations around the film's work environment, making the request for messages 'reasonably tailored.' Also Read: Swift, who contributed her song 'My Tears Ricochet' to the film's soundtrack but held no production role, has yet to comment on the controversy. What began as a literary adaptation has now evolved into a legal drama of its own—one involving pop royalty, Hollywood power players, and a courtroom spotlight none of them likely anticipated.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blake Lively loses motion shielding Taylor Swift texts from Justin Baldoni
NEW YORK — Justin Baldoni scored a legal win Wednesday when a New York judge denied Blake Lively's motion to keep her communications with Taylor Swift out of the actors' legal battle. Judge Lewis J. Liman denied 'Lively's motion for a protective order' meant to shield all communications between the reportedly estranged A-list pals from the case, according to the ruling obtained by Deadline. But Liman ruled the Swift-Lively communications regarding 'It Ends With Us' — which Baldoni, 41, directed and starred in alongside 37-year-old Lively — 'are relevant. 'Lively herself has identified Swift as someone likely to have knowledge about complaints or discussions regarding the working environment on the set of 'It Ends With Us,' said Liman. He also challenged Lively's legal team's position that the communications would be 'duplicative' after Baldoni's lawyers withdrew their subpoena of Swift 'and made public statements that they had 'everything that they needed.' Rather, said Liman, 'The Wayfarer Parties have not yet received any communications between Lively and Swift.' However, Liman did narrow the scope of Baldoni's initial sprawling request to only permit communications about the film or the ongoing case, as 'Lively has represented that Swift had knowledge of complaints or discussions about the working environment on the film, among other issues.' Baldoni and the rest of the Wayfarer Parties were also cautioned against 'leak[ing] the requested communications to the press,' per a court-issued protective order. 'The mere fact that the request has been discussed in the press does not render it illegitimate.' In late December, Lively filed a complaint and lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment on the film's set and a retaliatory online smear campaign. He filed a $400 million defamation and civil extortion countersuit against the actress, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane — which Liman dismissed last week. The judge simultaneously dismissed Baldoni's $250 million libel action against The New York Times' reporting of the allegations. Baldoni has until next week to amend the claims for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract. The case is slated for trial next March.
Fox News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Blake Lively's request to protect Taylor Swift texts in Justin Baldoni legal battle shut down by judge
Taylor Swift continues to be dragged into the legal drama ensuing between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Days after Lively requested a protective order against Baldoni's request to access Lively and Swift's private text messages, Judge Lewis Liman denied the motion on June 18. "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," Judge Liman wrote. "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 ('It Ends With Us') and this action are reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively's harassment and retaliation claims," he added. In a statement to Fox News Digital, a representative for Lively said they will continue to fight against Baldoni's "relentless efforts" to exploit "Swift's popularity." "The Court outright denied the Wayfarer Parties' motion to compel documents from Ms. Lively, who has produced far more documents in this case than the Wayfarer Parties combined. Further, the Court's protective order ruling rests on the Wayfarer Parties' admission that they received nothing from Taylor Swift, which is exactly the opposite of what their 'insider' claimed two weeks ago," the representative stated. "As for the rest, Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties demanded access to Taylor Swift's private communications—despite having already subpoenaed and then withdrawn that subpoena. Baldoni's desire to drag Taylor Swift into this has been constant dating back to August 2024, when the crisis PR firm led by Melissa Nathan included her in their 'Scenario Planning' document (Lively Amended Complaint, Exhibit D), referred to her as a bully, and called for a strategy to influence the 'TS fanbase' (Lively Amended Complaint, ¶214(b))," the representative continued. "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." Representatives for Baldoni and Swift did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Swift was subpoenaed as a witness in the Lively-Baldoni dispute, but Baldoni's team has withdrawn the request, Fox News Digital confirmed in May. A source with direct knowledge of the case told Fox News Digital at the time, "When information is voluntarily received, there is no need for subpoenas." After Swift was subpoenaed May 10, a spokesperson for the pop star denied her involvement in the 2024 film "It Ends With Us" aside from the licensing of her song "My Tears Ricochet," which was featured in the movie's trailer and used in one scene. "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 representative told Fox News Digital at the time. WATCH: WHAT IS GOING ON BETWEEN BLAKE LIVELY AND JUSTIN BALDONI? "The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, 'My Tears Ricochet,'" the spokesperson added. "Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case." Baldoni and Lively's legal fight is scheduled to go to trial before a New York court in March 2026. Fox News Digital's Janelle Ash and Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this post.
NBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- NBC News
Justin Baldoni granted access to Taylor Swift and Blake Lively's private text messages
A federal judge denied Blake Lively's request to keep some of her private text messages with Taylor Swift from Justin Baldoni, marking a major legal victory for the embattled "It Ends with Us" actor and director. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman deemed in a court filing on Wednesday that Baldoni's requests for some messages between Lively and Swift were permissible. Baldoni's legal team will only have access to text messages about 'It Ends with Us,' the judge ruled. Lively and Baldoni starred in the 2024 film, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's best-selling romance novel 'It Ends with Us' which is at the center of their ongoing legal battle. "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. A representative for Lively denounced the judge's decision. "Baldoni's desire to drag Taylor Swift into this has been constant dating back to August 2024 ... a strategy to influence the 'TS fanbase,'" the spokesperson said. "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, referring to the film's production company. Representatives for Swift and Baldoni did not immediately return requests for comment. Lively sued Baldoni and others associated with the film last year, alleging that Baldoni sexually harassed her and launched a public relations smear campaign to ruin her reputation. Baldoni has denied the allegations. Days later, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and The New York Times — which reported details of the allegations — for defamation. That suit, which requested damages of $400 million, was dismissed in court last week. Swift, who is the godmother of one of Lively's children and has frequently been seen in public with Lively, was dragged into the suit last month. Baldoni's attorney tried to subpoena her as a potential witness in the March 2026 trial. Swift's song, 'My Tears Ricochet,' was featured in the film's soundtrack, but she did not have a role in the production of the movie. "Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift's name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case,' a spokesperson for Swift said at the time. Baldoni's request to subpoena Swift was dropped days later. Swift and Lively have not been photographed together since the legal battle began last year, nor has the pop star commented on the case publicly.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Blake Lively asks judge to block Justin Baldoni from obtaining Taylor Swift messages
Blake Lively filed a motion asking the court for a 'protective order' to block Justin Baldoni from accessing her text messages with Taylor Swift as their nasty legal battle rages on. The 'Age of Adeline' star filed documents to New York judge Lewis J. Liman, who has presided over the case thus far, on Friday, alleging that the director and his team's pursuit of her exchanges with the pop star are part of their long-planned 'tactic' to leverage the singer and her fans. According to documents obtained by Page Six, Lively claims that her communication with Swift is 'not central' to her complaint against the actor and are 'irrelevant' to his Wayfarer production company's claims. 'Throughout litigation, and particularly over the past month, the Wayfarer Parties have repeatedlyused Ms. Swift's name as part of their media strategy,' the letter reads. As Baldoni's team dropped their probe into Swift, 35, and Lively's friendship, claiming that they obtained the details they wanted, Lively's team claimed to the judge that a continued pursuit would be 'duplicative, cumulative, and unnecessary.' 'Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer parties are still demanding access to Taylor Swift's private communications—despite having already subpoenaed and then withdrawn that subpoena after they 'got all they needed,'' a spokesperson for Lively told Page Six of the new legal move. 'As reflected in today's filing, their intent to drag Taylor Swift into this was evident as far back as August 2024, when the crisis PR firm led by Melissa Nathan included her in their 'Scenario Planning' document and flagged the 'TS fanbase' as something to take 'extremely seriously.'' The statement closed: 'The ongoing attempts to once again try and use the world's biggest star as a PR tactic in this matter reflects a public unraveling of epic proportions—and serves only to distract from the fact that Justin Baldoni's lawsuits against Ms. Lively, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, and the New York Times have been entirely dismissed.' Reps for Baldoni and Swift did not immediately respond to Page Six's requests for comment. The director, 41, initially dragged the pop star into his messy legal feud with Lively in January when he launched his $400 million countersuit against the 'A Simple Favor' star and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. His attorney Bryan Freedman alleged that Swift was at the scene of a significant meeting between the two co-stars. He also claimed that the 'Gossip Girl' alum, 37, weaponized her friendship with Swift in an attempt to take control of their film set. After hitting the 'Bad Blood' hitmaker with an official subpoena in May, Baldoni and his legal team dropped it and their probe into her friendship with the actress later that month. At the time, Lively's rep responded to the update, saying, 'We are pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm.' '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.' In a shocking legal twist, the director's countersuit against the famous couple was thrown out by the New York judge on Monday — along with his $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times. In his reasoning, the magistrate wrote that the 'Jane the Virgin' alum and his Wayfarer Studios production company 'have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her [California Civil Rights Department] complaint, which are privileged.' Baldoni's legal team has until June 23 to amend their claims for breach of implied covenant (suggesting that terms agreed upon in their legal agreement were violated) and tortious interference with contract (intentionally disrupting the relationship or contractual agreement between parties, potentially leading to significant financial damages and reputational harm). Despite the recent update, there's still a long way to go for the bitter feud. The trial date for Lively and Baldoni's case has been set for March 2026.
