Blake Lively‘s Texts with Taylor Swift Could Be Key in Justin Baldoni Legal Battle

Blake Lively’s text messages with Taylor Swift may be used in court, marking a new development in the ongoing legal dispute between Lively and her “It Ends with Us” co-star, Justin Baldoni.A judge has ruled that these communications are potentially relevant to the case.

Judge Orders Lively to produce Texts with Swift

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman issued an order on Wednesday denying Lively’s request to exclude her text messages with Swift from the litigation. The court documents, reviewed by The Times, indicate that Lively had suggested Swift possessed knowledge of complaints or discussions related to the film’s working environment. Therefore, the messages are considered pertinent to proving or disproving Lively’s claims of harassment and retaliation.

Did You Know? Blake Lively formally sued Justin Baldoni in federal court on Dec. 31, 2024, alleging sexual harassment.

Baldoni’s Request for Communications

In February, Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios requested the production of documents related to Lively’s communications with Taylor Swift. This request specifically targeted “all documents and communications related to or reflecting Lively’s communications with Taylor Swift” concerning the 2024 romantic drama and subsequent legal proceedings.

Background of the Legal battle

The legal conflict between the “It Ends With Us” co-stars began when Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the film set and alleged a smear campaign against her in December 2024. These allegations were initially reported by the New York Times. Following Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni and nine other plaintiffs, including his crisis PR team and Wayfarer Studios executives, filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and a separate defamation complaint against the New York Times.

pro Tip: Defamation lawsuits are notoriously challenging to win, requiring proof of false statements and malicious intent.

Judge Dismisses Baldoni’s Initial Complaints

Earlier this month,Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s complaints, citing their failure to meet legal standards.In his recent order, the judge noted that Lively’s concerns stemmed from the belief that the Wayfarer Parties were using the demands for communications with Swift to bolster a public relations narrative rather than to gather data relevant to the court case.

Swift’s Initial Subpoena and Subsequent Withdrawal

Baldoni’s team had previously subpoenaed Swift earlier in the year, but later withdrew it after Swift’s legal representatives deemed it an “unwarranted fishing expedition,” according to Variety. The Wednesday order also denied baldoni’s cross-motion to compel Lively to produce documents connected to the production.

Lively’s Response and allegations of Exploitation

A representative for Lively issued a statement claiming that “Baldoni’s desire to drag Taylor Swift into this has been constant dating back to August 2024” and is an attempt to leverage the singer’s fan base. The statement referenced the “swifties,” Swift’s dedicated fan base, who have previously rallied against figures perceived to have wronged the singer and, more recently, Ticketmaster over allegations of fraud, price-fixing and antitrust violations.

The spokesperson added,according to People, “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 Wayfar