Latest news with #WayfarerParties
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Swift in connection with the harassment and retaliation lawsuit surrounding the production, the subpoena was later withdrawn.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 Effort to Block Justin Baldoni From Accessing Taylor Swift Messages Denied
Blake Lively's effort to block 'It Ends With Us' director and co-star Justin Baldoni from accessing private messages with Taylor Swift was shut down on Wednesday, as Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that they were relevant to the ongoing litigation between the former colleagues. Liman, however, put a protective order in place to keep Baldoni's discovery from leaking to the press. '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.' But this concern does not justify denying the Wayfarer Parties relevant discovery,' Liman wrote. 'If the issue is that the Wayfarer Parties may leak the requested communications to the press, this concern is addressed by the Protective Order issued by the Court.' Lively moved for a protective order last week, arguing that the requests were not only unnecessary—since the Wayfarer Parties previously claimed to have 'everything they needed' from Swift—but also part of a broader 'media strategy' designed to generate press coverage and undermine her. 'Given that Lively has represented that Swift had knowledge of complaints or discussions about the working environment on the film … the requests for messages with Swift … are reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively's harassment and retaliation claims,' Judge Liman said in his ruling. The court rejected Lively's motion, finding that her communications with Swift were likely relevant given Lively's own assertion that Swift had knowledge of working conditions on set. Simultaneously, the court also denied a cross-motion by the Wayfarer Parties to compel Lively to accelerate production of other categories of documents. The judge found that Lively was already complying with the agreed production schedule and had made reasonable proposals for reciprocal document exchanges that the Wayfarer Parties declined. A spokesperson for Lively told TheWrap of the decision, '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.' '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,' the statement continued. '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, referred to her as a bully, and called for a strategy to influence the 'TS fanbase' 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 actor-director-producer's legal team subpoenaed the pop star back in May, claiming that there was necessary information she had in relation to his opposing lawsuits with Lively, her longtime friend. The subpoena was quickly denounced May 9 by Swift's team, who argued that the singer's only involvement in the making of 'It Ends With Us' was allowing one of her songs to be used in the film. Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman then advocated for Swift's subpoena in a May 14 letter to Judge Liman, alleging that Lively had been extorting the singer-songwriter for public support as she sued her director and co-star for sexual harassment and retaliation and Baldoni countersued her, her husband Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times for defamation. The post Blake Lively Effort to Block Justin Baldoni From Accessing Taylor Swift Messages Denied appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Judge tosses Justin Baldoni's $400M lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds in shocking legal twist
It ends here. Justin Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was tossed out on Monday in a shocking legal twist. Judge Lewis J. Liman granted the motion to dismiss the actor's January countersuit — as well as his $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times — according to documents obtained by Page Six. Liman wrote that Baldoni 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.' Lively, notably, made headlines for her complaint, in which she accused her 'It Ends With Us' co-star of sexual harassment, in December 2024. The judge explained that Baldoni's lawsuit 'alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the 'Times' made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign.' However, Liman continued, 'The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the 'Times' would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.' 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). In a statement to Page Six, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said: 'Ms. Lively and her team's predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling. 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.' Freedman said 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.' The attorney also claimed Lively's allegations 'are no truer today than they were yesterday, and 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. 'We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity.' A rep for Reynolds did not immediately respond to Page Six's requests for comment. Lively's lawyers, Esra Hudson & Mike Gottlieb, celebrated the decision as a 'total victory and a complete vindication' for the actress in a statement to Page Six. The attorneys wrote, 'As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. They are 'look[ing] forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages' over the 'abusive litigation.' Lively and Baldoni sparked feud rumors when their project, which was adapted from Colleen Hoover's book of the same name, premiered in August 2024. Shortly after filing her complaint last year, Lively officially sued the 'Jane the Virgin' alum for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages. Justin, who shares two children with wife Emily Baldoni, has continued to deny any wrongdoing. News broke last week that Baldoni's lawsuit was in jeopardy since it relied largely on a text from journalist James Vituscka claiming Lively's publicist told him the 'Gossip Girl' alum was 'sexually assaulted' by Baldoni — which the reporter has since walked back. 'I meant to say, 'sexually harassed,'' Vituscka wrote in a legal declaration Friday. 'I regret this error.' Additionally, Lively requested to withdraw her claims that she suffered from 'intentional infliction of emotional distress' and 'negligent infliction of emotional distress' as a result of Baldoni's alleged misconduct. However, this request was denied by Liman.
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.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Justin Baldoni scores MAJOR WIN; Judge allows director to seek Blake Lively-Taylor Swift messages amid lawsuits
In a major win for director-actor Justin Baldoni and his legal team, a judge has ruled in favour of giving him access to chats between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift . The global pop star has now officially been pulled into the ongoing legal drama between the 'It Ends With Us' co-stars. According to court documents obtained by TMZ, the judge ruled that Baldoni's production company, Wayfarer Studios, can pursue messages between Lively and Swift that may be 'relevant' to the ongoing lawsuits. As reported by Deadline, Judge Liman reasoned, "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.' This comes after Blake asked the court to block Baldoni's team from accessing her private communications with Swift, arguing that the request was a thinly veiled attempt to use her high-profile friendship to shape a narrative outside of the courtroom. However, the judge disagreed, stating "Given that the Lively Parties have not shown the information is irrelevant or its production would be unduly burdensome, the claim that the Wayfarer Parties have dramatized the request in the press does not justify a protective order against the production of responsive documents. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo ' The Judge concluded, 'Lively's motion for a protective order is denied.' Taylor Swift was previously subpoenaed by Baldoni's legal team but that request was later withdrawn. Despite the court allowing Baldoni's team to move forward in seeking the messages, Lively's spokesperson pushed back strongly in a statement to TMZ, '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 statement continued to criticise Baldoni's legal strategy, claiming: '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.' As of now, Justin Baldoni's team has not issued a public response. The legal battle began last year when Lively accused the director of alleged sexual harassment, claims he vehemently denied. The allegations that were shared in a New York Times article gave way to a lawsuit that Blake filed against Baldoni. He followed it up with a $400 million defamation suit.
