In a stunning turn of events, Justin Baldoni’s attorneys have made a bombshell claim in the ongoing legal battle surrounding the film It Ends With Us. In new court documents filed on May 14, Baldoni’s team alleges that actress Blake Lively pressured her close friend Taylor Swift to publicly support her amid Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni. Lively’s legal team, however, has strongly denied the allegations, calling them “categorically false.”
The allegations come in the wake of a subpoena issued to Venable, the law firm representing Swift, as part of the broader legal dispute. Baldoni’s lawyers, led by Bryan Freedman, have argued that the subpoena is crucial for obtaining key evidence in the case. They assert that they received a tip from a “reliable source” who claims that Lively asked Swift to delete personal text messages and that Lively’s lawyer allegedly threatened Swift’s attorney to compel the pop star into issuing a public statement of support for Lively.
The letter from Baldoni’s legal team further suggests that Lively used threats involving private text messages to pressure Swift. “It is those communications that the Wayfarer Parties seek to obtain as potential evidence of an attempt to intimidate and coerce a percipient witness in this litigation,” Freedman wrote in the filing. The claim raises serious legal and ethical questions, particularly about the alleged use of extortionate tactics in an ongoing lawsuit.
Blake Lively’s attorney, Mike Gottlieb, wasted no time in rebutting the claims, describing them as completely unfounded. “This is categorically false. We unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations, which are cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality,” Gottlieb said in a statement to PEOPLE. He further criticized Baldoni’s legal team for using “tabloid clickbait” tactics to divert attention from the case’s facts.
The legal drama began when Lively, 37, filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, 41, her co-star and director of It Ends With Us, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni has vigorously denied the accusations and filed a $400 million countersuit, accusing Lively and others of defamation and extortion.
In response to the subpoena issued to Swift, Lively’s team and Swift’s representatives have made it clear that the singer was not involved in any way with the making or production of It Ends With Us. Swift’s legal spokesperson stated that the pop star “never set foot on the set of this movie” and had no involvement in the film’s creative decisions, except for permitting the use of her song “My Tears Ricochet.”
Lively’s representatives have also weighed in on the situation, accusing Baldoni’s legal team of turning the lawsuit into “entertainment for the tabloids.” They argue that the focus should remain on the serious nature of the legal matter and not be used for media spectacle.
With high-profile figures like Swift, Lively, and Reynolds involved, the case has continued to attract widespread attention. The stakes are high as both sides prepare for the next phase of the litigation, with a potential subpoena of actor Hugh Jackman also looming on the horizon.
As the case unfolds, both sides continue to fight fiercely in court, each claiming to be the victim of defamatory attacks. With rumors swirling and new allegations surfacing, it remains to be seen how this legal drama will play out and what impact it will have on the careers and reputations of those involved.
