It turns out Taylor Swift will be excluded from this narrative after all.
Earlier this month, a subpoena issued by Justin Baldoni‘s lawyers was directed towards Taylor Swift in the context of his legal dispute with Blake Lively. However, Baldoni later chose to retract the subpoena, as confirmed by Lively’s representative to TopMob News.
After the court’s decision, I and my team were thrilled about the dismissal of the subpoena, sparing me from having to testify in that particular case.
In this rephrased version, the first person perspective is maintained by using “I” and “my team,” making it more relatable and natural for a lifestyle expert to convey.
Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have decided to drop their intimidating subpoenas aimed at Taylor Swift and her legal team, as confirmed by a representative of Lively. In a statement released to TopMob News on May 22, they expressed support for Taylor’s team in their attempts to block these unwarranted subpoenas and vowed to defend any party subjected to unnecessary harassment or threat during the process.
The declaration continued by claiming that Baldoni’s group had been trying to make the Grammy-winning individual the focal point of this case since its inception, and they were also accused of shifting focus away from Lively’s allegations.
At a certain moment, they won’t be able to evade the real accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation any longer. (It is important to note that Baldoni denies these allegations.)
TopMob News has reached out to a rep for Baldoni for comment but has not heard back.
Following rumors about the subpoena spreading, a representative for the pop star downplayed the summons as a publicity ploy, pointing out that she “had never visited the film’s set.
In response to TopMob News’ inquiry on May 9, Swift’s representative stated that the subpoena issued to Swift is intended to exploit her name for sensationalism and increased public interest, rather than addressing the actual facts of the case. This is because she, along with 19 other artists, licensed a song for the film.
Days later, Lively’s team issued its own response to the move.
In a statement made on May 12th, the actress’ representative clarified that this issue is a grave legal matter, not comparable to Barnum & Bailey’s Circus. The defendants are persistently attempting to intimidate, bully, belittle, tarnish women’s dignity, and undermine their rights and standing.
Keep reading for more details on the legal battle between Baldoni and Lively.
Four months following the release of the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us” in cinemas, Blake Lively reportedly filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and his associates on December 20, as stated by The New York Times.
In the complaint obtained by TopMob News, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios (Wayfarer), its CEO Jamey Heath, cofounder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and Street Relations Inc. were named as defendants.
Lively claimed in her complaint that Baldoni and Wayfarer associates initiated a “sophisticated press and digital plan” in retaliation for expressing concerns about alleged misconduct on set, with Lively stating that she and other cast and crew members “witnessed intrusive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” from Baldoni and Heath.
The actress further stated that this campaign against her caused significant harm to both her personal life and career. The accusations made in the complaint include sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to address and remedy harassment, aiding and abetting harassment and retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, false light invasion of privacy, and interference with prospective economic advantage.
The following day, The New York Times released an article detailing a supposed counterattack smear operation orchestrated by Baldoni and his allies, allegedly targeting Lively – referencing her CRD complaint. In the piece, they shared messages exchanged between Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), Nathan (crisis communications specialist) and others, which were part of her complaint. The article was also accompanied by court documents available on The New York Times‘s website for viewing. Lively expressed to the outlet, “I hope that my legal action serves to expose these underhanded retaliatory strategies aimed at damaging those who speak out against misconduct, and provides protection to others who might face similar targeting.
—Reporting by Sara Ouerfelli
Following the release of Lively’s complaint, attorney Bryan Freedman – who represents Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives – firmly denied Lively’s accusations. In a statement on The New York Times website, he expressed his disappointment that Lively and her team would make such severe and blatantly false allegations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their associates. He claimed these allegations were another desperate attempt to improve Lively’s tarnished reputation, which stemmed from remarks and actions during the film campaign that were visible online in real-time and unedited. According to Freedman, these claims are entirely false, excessively scandalous, and intentionally sensational with the goal of causing public harm and perpetuating a media narrative.
Freedman also defended Wayfarer’s decision to hire a crisis manager before the film’s marketing campaign. He explained that their representatives did not take any proactive measures or retaliate against such accusations; instead, they only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure accurate and balanced reporting and kept track of social activity. Freedman pointed out that what is omitted from the selectively presented correspondence is evidence of no proactive measures taken with the media or otherwise – just internal planning and private communication aimed at strategizing, which is standard practice for public relations professionals.
Following the publication of an article in The New York Times on December 21, talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) chose to terminate its association with Baldoni. This decision was confirmed by Ari Emanuel, CEO of WME’s parent company Endeavor, to the outlet.
However, it’s important to clarify that Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband and also a client of WME, was not responsible for the agency’s decision to part ways with Baldoni, as alleged in Baldoni’s subsequent lawsuit against The New York Times (more details below).
In a statement issued to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1, WME denied Baldoni’s claim that Reynolds put pressure on Baldoni’s agent during the premiere of Deadpool & Wolverine. According to WME, Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere and there was never any pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client.
Following Lively’s CRD filing and an article in The New York Times, several well-known individuals expressed their support for Lively’s allegations against Baldoni. Notable among these was the author of ‘It Ends With Us’, Hoover, who posted on Instagram Stories. On December 21st, she expressed her admiration for Lively, stating, “You have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met… Never change. Never wilt.”
Additionally, Jenny Slate, who played Baldoni’s sister in the series, voiced her support for Lively. On December 23rd, she released a statement to Today, saying, “As Blake Lively’s castmate and friend, I voice my support as she takes action against those reported to have planned and carried out an attack on her reputation.” She further praised Lively, calling her a leader, loyal friend, and a trusted source of emotional support.
Brandon Sklenar, a love interest for Lively’s character in the series, shared a link to The New York Times article and wrote, “For the love of God read this.”
Moreover, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn, declared their solidarity with her.
Liz Plank recently announced her departure from The Man Enough Podcast, which she co-hosted with Baldoni and Heath. Here’s what she wrote on Instagram about it: “I wanted to let you know that my representatives have informed Wayfarer that I will no longer be a co-host of The Man Enough podcast. Thank you for trusting me with your stories, for standing by me, and for making this show what it was. I will miss you all so much. I love the community we built together, and that’s because of you.”
Although Plank didn’t provide a reason for her exit, it occurred shortly after Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates. In her message to her followers, she added: “As this chapter ends for me, I remain dedicated to the values we’ve cultivated together. Thank you for being here, for trusting me, and for standing by my side for the past four years. We all deserve better, and I believe that together, we can create it.”
She also mentioned: “I will have more to share soon as I work through everything that has transpired. In the meantime, I will continue to support everyone who speaks out against injustice and holds those responsible accountable.
In a turn of events that I found quite surprising, I, as a former associate of Baldoni, have found myself on the receiving end of a legal action. Stephanie Jones, my previous publicist, and her agency, Jonesworks LLC, have filed a lawsuit against me, Baldoni, Wayfarer, Abel (my current publicist), and Nathan (crisis communications specialist) in New York on December 24th.
According to the documents obtained by NBC News, these defendants allegedly conspired for months, secretly planning to publicly and privately attack Jones and Jonesworks, breach contracts, induce contractual breaches, and steal clients and business prospects. Behind my back, they coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to execute a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars. They then used this crisis as an opportunity to create a rift between Jones and me, and to publicly place blame for this smear campaign on Jones, even though she had no involvement in it.
Abel, as per her LinkedIn profile, worked at Jonesworks until last summer. The lawsuit claims that Abel and Nathan are now falsely accusing Jones as their misconduct is being exposed, defaming and attacking her in the industry.
Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer associated with Jonesworks, are accused of repudiating their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to settle this dispute privately in arbitration.
I have reached out to the defendants for comment on these allegations.
In a conversation with Variety on December 23rd, Lively’s lawyers revealed that they acquired the texts discussed in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and their Wayfarer associates, further stated that none of his clients were served with a subpoena on this matter. He also expressed his intention to file a lawsuit against Jones for disclosing messages from Abel’s phone to Lively’s legal team.
Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations filed a lawsuit against The New York Times Dec. 31.
In the lawsuit obtained by TopMob News, The New York Times is accused of libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract for its article about a retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly conducted against Lively after she voiced concerns about purported misconduct on set.
Saying the report was “false” and based on Lively’s CRD complaint, the plaintiffs denied the accusations and alleged messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context.
“Despite its claim to have ‘reviewed these along with other documents[,]’ the Times relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative,” the lawsuit says, “lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.”
They also allege “it was Lively, not Plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign.” She has denied this.
The New York Times said it plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” it stated to TopMob. “Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article.”
On the same day, Lively initiated a legal action against Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Nathan, Nathan’s company TAG, and Abel in New York. As per court documents acquired by TopMob News, she is accusing the defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, neglecting to investigate and address harassment, aiding and abetting such actions, breach of contract, intentionally causing emotional distress, negligently causing emotional distress, false light invasion of privacy.
The accusations in this lawsuit were initially detailed in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month. In response to the lawsuit Baldoni and his associates filed against The New York Times—which does not include Lively as a defendant—her legal team stated to TopMob that “the claims in this lawsuit do not alter anything about the allegations in her CRD and federal complaints.”
“This lawsuit is based on the incorrect assumption that Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was a tactic to avoid filing a lawsuit against Baldoni, Wayfarer, and that ‘litigation was never her ultimate goal,'” they added. “However, as demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Lively today, this perspective on the Wayfarer lawsuit is false.
In their legal action against The New York Times, the plaintiffs, Baldoni and his associates, have indicated that they still intend to pursue further actions. As the court documents indicate, there are other parties involved who have acted improperly, and it’s clear that this won’t be the only lawsuit they file. In a recent interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s attorney, Freedman, confirmed their intention to take legal action against Lively as well.
The chatter about Baldoni and Lively hasn’t ceased, with some social media users suggesting that Reynolds poked fun at Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.
Reynolds has yet to speak out on these speculations; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman expressed his thoughts on the matter. In an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show, posted to YouTube on January 7, Freedman stated, “In my opinion, if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni’s situation. You treat it seriously. You file complaints and follow due process. What you shouldn’t do is joke about it.
In response to your lawsuit, Lively’s legal team maintains there have been further instances of hostility towards her since the filing. The lawsuit filed by Lively in the Southern District of New York alleges severe sexual harassment and retaliation. This isn’t a petty disagreement or he-said-she-said scenario, but rather unlawful retaliatory actions taken against Lively for standing up for herself and others on a film set, as detailed in her complaint. Wayfarer and their associates are accused of astroturfing, which is creating a false online presence to discredit Lively.
The legal team emphasized that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal under any circumstances and urged people not to be swayed by common tactics used to deflect allegations of such misconduct. These tactics can include blaming the victim or suggesting they invited the behavior, misunderstood the intentions, or even lied. Another tactic is to reverse the roles of the victim and offender, implying that the accused party is actually the one being wronged.
Lively’s lawyers warned that these concepts serve to minimize and trivialize serious allegations. They also stressed that media statements do not constitute a defense against her claims and that they will vigorously pursue her case in court.
On January 16th, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, Leslie Sloane (publicist), and her firm Vision PR in New York. The lawsuit alleges that all defendants have committed civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing, intentional and negligent interference with contractual relations, and economic advantage.
The plaintiffs deny Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Instead, they claim that she seized control of ‘It Ends With Us’, worked with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to damage the plaintiff’s reputation in the media after receiving backlash for promoting the film. (Lively stated in her filings that she promoted the movie according to Sony’s marketing plan.)
In the lawsuit, it is claimed that defendants collaborated with The New York Times to release a sensational news story which was as untrue as it was damaging. However, the media outlet maintains its stance on the report’s accuracy.
In response to TopMob, Freedman stated, “Either Blake Lively was significantly misinformed by her team, or she deliberately and knowingly distorted the truth.
Lively’s lawyers referred to his lawsuit as “an additional instance in the script of an abuser,” stating to TopMob News, “This scenario is familiar: A woman presents solid proof of sexual harassment and retaliation, and the abuser tries to shift the blame onto the victim. This is what specialists call DARVO. Deny allegations, Counter-attack, Reverse Victim and Offender.
Additionally, she claimed he responded by counterattacking after she leveled accusations towards him, stating that Baldoni aims to change the storyline to suggest that Lively took over creative control and distanced the cast from Mr. Baldoni.
It was further explained that the proof will make clear that both the cast members and others encountered unfavorable encounters with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. Additionally, the evidence will demonstrate that Sony requested Ms. Lively to supervise Sony’s portion of the film, which they subsequently chose for distribution and ultimately became a huge success.
Her team went on to slam Baldoni’s reaction to her allegations of harassment.
In a nutshell, the defendants’ approach towards sexual harassment allegations seems to be shifting blame onto the victim rather than addressing the issue at hand. They argue that she wanted it or that her attire was responsible, as stated by their legal team. However, this tactic of targeting the woman is weak and unsuccessful, for it does not dispute the evidence presented in Ms. Lively’s complaint. Instead, they should be focusing on the abuse itself.
In simpler terms, Baldoni’s lawyer shared unseen footage from the set of “It Ends With Us“, stating that the actor’s behavior in the video contradicts Ms. Lively’s portrayal of him.
According to Baldoni’s lawyers, the particular sequence was intended to depict the two characters developing affection for each other and yearning for closeness. It’s evident that both actors were playing their parts in a manner consistent with the scene, demonstrating genuine care and maintaining a high level of professionalism.
Nevertheless, Lively’s legal representatives argue that the video aligns precisely with what Ms. Lively stated in her lawsuit, and they claim that every instance depicted in the video was spontaneously created by Mr. Baldoni without any prior consultation or consent.
In a statement, TopMob News was informed that the video depicts Ms. Lively leaning back and repeatedly requesting the characters to engage in conversation only. This situation is likely to resonate with any woman who has experienced unwanted physical contact in a professional setting, as it portrays Ms. Lively’s obvious discomfort.
In their case, the couple penned a note to the presiding judge, asking for Freedman, the leading attorney from Baldoni’s team, to be subjected to a restraining order on speech, as they wanted to prevent any inappropriate behavior during the ongoing legal process.
Online publication revealed a seven-minute voice recording, which sources claim was sent by Baldoni to Lively during the production of “It Ends With Us“. In this recording, it seems that Baldoni discussed the movie’s rooftop scene that Lively rewrote and mentioned a conversation he had with Reynolds and their mutual friend Taylor Swift regarding these changes.
He mentioned to Lively that it’s fantastic to have friends as imaginative and inventive as those two individuals, not just because they’re among the most creative people globally, but also because their collective creativity is simply astonishing. In combination, the three of them are incredible.
In the recording, it appears Baldoni also extended an apology to the actress for his cool response to her script, stating, “I made a mistake. Something important for you to understand about me is that I’ll own up to my mistakes and offer sincere apologies when I fall short.
A court hearing was scheduled for March 9, 2026, exactly one month after Lively initiated legal action against Baldoni.
According to reports from TopMob News, Baldoni’s team has updated their countersuit filed against Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane in the U.S. District Court on Jan 16th. The update now includes ‘The New York Times’ as well.
In the revised paper, Baldoni claimed that Lively and her associates had been secretly conspiring for several months, spreading untruths to the New York Times.
In a different action, they claimed that the newspaper selectively used and modified communications, removing essential context and intentionally edited them together to deceive.
Baldoni set up a website detailing his legal dispute with Lively, which includes the amended complaint filed by his team on January 31st. This website also presents a chronology of significant events. The timeline document reportedly contains alleged screenshots of text conversations between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni.
The website went live a month following when Freedman mentioned that they would be publishing all text messages exchanged between the two parties.
In a January 2nd interview with NBC News, Baldoni’s lawyer expressed that they desire transparency and want all relevant documents to become public. They believe that allowing people to examine the supporting evidence will enable them to form their own opinions.
Lawyers for Lively submitted a revised lawsuit statement, alleging that two additional female crew members from the set of “It End” felt discomfort due to Baldoni’s on-set conduct.
TopMob News obtained a complaint stating that Ms. Lively wasn’t the only one voicing concerns about Mr. Baldoni. The complaint, which dates back to May 2023, details experiences similar to Ms. Lively’s, along with those of other individuals. Crucially, and against the storyline the Defendants have constructed, Mr. Baldoni acknowledged these complaints in writing at the time. This was when he was aware that there were women besides Ms. Lively who felt uneasy about his behavior.
In the revised lawsuit, the two potential witnesses who Lively claimed would speak out were not mentioned, as there is a potentially harmful environment filled with threats, harassment, and intimidation caused by the defendants’ reprisal efforts.
In an interview with TopMob, Freedman asserted that the accusations made against him were based on “flimsy anecdotal evidence” and implied that unknown individuals are now reluctant to corroborate or openly vouch for her allegations.
Following Baldoni’s accusations that Sloane was spreading “harmful tales” depicting him as a “sexual harasser” and masterminding a “defamatory campaign” with Lively’s guidance, Sloane requested to be dismissed from the legal case by filing a motion for dismissal.
According to documents acquired by TopMob News, Sloane’s lawyer argued that there was no foundation for the charges leveled against their client, and instead, she was merely drawn into the lawsuit as part of a “misdirection tactic aimed at diverting attention away from” Lively’s allegations.
As an overly enthusiastic fan, I can’t help but share that I learned about Lively bringing Nick Shapiro, the ex-Deputy Chief of Staff at the CIA, aboard to provide counsel on the legal communication strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. A team member from her litigation group at Willkie Farr & Gallagher disclosed this exciting news to Variety on February 28th.
Shapiro, who served for the CIA from 2013 to 2015 during the Obama administration, subsequently held positions as Visa’s vice president of worldwide security and communications, and Airbnb’s global head of crisis management. After spending three years with the rental company, he established his own consulting firm, 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.
TopMob News has reportedly obtained documents showing that The New York Times, currently involved in a $250 million lawsuit with Baldoni, has filed a motion to remove itself from the larger $400 million lawsuit that also includes Lively, Baldoni, and Sloane. In simpler terms, The New York Times is trying to withdraw from the bigger legal case it’s part of alongside Lively, Baldoni, and Sloane, as it faces a separate $250 million lawsuit with Baldoni.
In their submission, the newspaper contended that Baldoni’s team was spinning a biased account that has generated significant media attention. However, they made it clear that The Times should not be involved in this disagreement.
After The New York Times filed a motion to dismiss, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman approved their request to delay the discovery process, as reported by TopMob News based on obtained documents.
The request for a temporary hold on the exchange of information or documents between parties, as presented by the newspaper on February 28th, was approved by the judge during his review.
In a document dated March 4, Liman stated that the New York Times’ argument for dismissal appears to be robust and convincing, suggesting a high probability of success based on the presented evidence.
As an ardent admirer putting this into my own words, I’d say: The judge also made it clear to me that he doesn’t think my beloved team of Baldoni would be unjustifiably disadvantaged during the court’s deliberation on the upcoming motion, while they wait for a decision.
A representative for the New York Times commented to TopMob News about the recent ruling, stating, “We are grateful for today’s court decision, which acknowledges the significant First Amendment concerns involved. The court has prevented Mr. Baldoni from overwhelming The Times with discovery requests in a lawsuit that should not have been initiated against us.
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