Taylor Swift Agrees to Be Deposed in Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively Case

Taylor Swift is being called in.

According to reports from Us Weekly, the singer famous for “Bejeweled” has consented to be interrogated by Justin Baldoni‘s legal team, as part of the ongoing legal dispute between Baldoni and his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.

According to papers filed on September 11th, Baldoni’s legal team mentioned that Taylor Swift, whose song “My Tears Ricochet” was utilized in the movie and trailer, would be required to testify some time between October 20th and 25th.

According to reports from Us magazine, the Grammy-winning friend of Lively was scheduled to attend a court deposition in late October. This was due to prior work commitments he already had, as stated in the documents.

We’ve attempted to contact representatives for Swift, Lively, and Baldoni for their thoughts, but have yet to receive a response from them at TopMob News.

Four months ago, Swift provided a statement, which followed clarification about her role in the movie from her representative. This clarification occurred after a subpoena from Baldoni’s lawyers, but it was eventually retracted.

According to Taylor Swift’s representative, the singer didn’t appear in that movie at all. She had no role in the casting or creative process, didn’t compose the music for it, and never watched any version of the film nor provided any feedback on it.

The representative clarified that the singer didn’t get a chance to read “It Ends With Us” until several weeks following its public debut in 2023 and 2024, as she was busy touring the world during that time for her Eras Tour.

The team observed that Swift granted permission to utilize her song in the movie adaptation based on Colleen Hoover, a privilege extended to 19 other artists as well.

In the lead-up to Swift’s scheduled court testimony amidst the prolonged lawsuit between Baldoni and Lively, where Lively accuses Baldoni of sexual harassment, it was proposed by Swift’s lawyers that they might demand monetary reparations from Baldoni.

Following the dismissal of the $400 million countersuit filed by the former star of “Jane the Virgin” against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, her legal team is thinking about pursuing a significant monetary award to cover the costs of defending against what they deem as baseless accusations made by Baldoni. This potential action was mentioned in court documents obtained by NBC News on September 7th.

In the court filing, Lively’s lawyers contended that the accusations made by the Wayfarer Parties were lacking in factual or legal substance. Rather than being grounded in truth or law, these allegations appeared to be a calculated strategy aimed at discrediting Ms. Lively and causing harm to her and her husband through litigation.

For Baldoni’s part, lead attorney Bryan Freedman described Lively’s legal win as “false.”

In a statement to TopMob News following the dismissal of his client’s case, he stated that Ms. Lively’s assertions hold no more validity today than they did yesterday. With the supporting evidence we possess, we remain steadfast in our belief and move forward with the same conviction that we had when Ms. Lively and her associates embarked on this legal struggle.

For a look back at Lively and Baldoni’s legal battle, keep reading. 

In the four months following the theater release of the movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us”, Blake Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against her costar Justin Baldoni and several associates on December 20, as reported by The New York Times.

The complaint, obtained by TopMob News, names Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, its CEO Jamey Heath, co-founder Steve Sarowitz, Baldoni’s publicist Jennifer Abel, her company RWA Communications, crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan, her company The Agency Group PR LLC (TAG), contractor Jed Wallace and his company Street Relations Inc. as defendants.

According to the complaint, Lively alleges that Baldoni and his Wayfarer associates engaged in a deliberate campaign of media and digital retaliation after she expressed concerns about alleged misconduct on set. Lively claims that she and other cast and crew members were subjected to invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior by Baldoni and Heath.

The actress asserts that this alleged campaign against her caused significant harm to both her personal and professional life. The accusations listed in the complaint include sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate, prevent, or 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 published a report detailing alleged retaliatory smear tactics carried out by Baldoni and his associates against Lively. The report cited her CRD complaint and featured messages from Baldoni’s team, such as publicist Abel and crisis communications specialist Nathan, which were part of the complaint. Readers could access related court documents on The New York Times’ website. Reflecting on the matter, Lively told the outlet, “I hope my legal action sheds light on these underhanded retaliatory strategies aimed at silencing those who expose wrongdoings, and provides protection for others who may face similar targeting.

After Lively’s complaint became public, Bryan Freedman, who represents Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives, strongly contested Lively’s accusations. He declared in a statement on The New York Times website that it was unfortunate for Lively and her team to make such grave and utterly false allegations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives as a desperate attempt to repair Lively’s damaged reputation due to her own comments and actions during the film campaign. These claims were entirely unfounded, extremely offensive, and intentionally sensational with the aim of causing harm and perpetuating media speculation.

Freedman further justified Wayfarer’s decision to hire a crisis manager prior to the movie’s marketing campaign. He added that Wayfarer’s representatives didn’t take any proactive measures nor retaliated, but only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and accurate reporting and monitored social activity. What is noticeably absent from the selectively presented correspondence is evidence of a lack of proactive measures taken with the media or otherwise; just internal strategic planning and private communication, which is standard practice among public relations professionals.

The talent agency, William Morris Endeavor (WME), ended their association with Baldoni following the publication of an article by The New York Times on December 21. Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, verified this to the outlet. However, it’s important to note that WME denied that Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, played a role in their decision to part ways with Baldoni. This allegation was made by Baldoni in his subsequent lawsuit against The New York Times (for more details, see below). In response to queries from The Hollywood Reporter on January 1, WME stated that Baldoni’s claim of being pressured by Reynolds at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere was false. They added that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the premiere and neither Reynolds nor Lively ever put pressure on WME to drop Baldoni as a client.

After Blake Lively’s CRD filing and a New York Times article, several well-known figures expressed their support for Lively concerning the allegations against Baldoni. One of these figures was the author of ‘It Ends With Us’, Colleen Hoover, who voiced her backing on Instagram Stories.

On December 21st, Hoover wrote on her Instagram Stories, “Blake Lively, you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met.” She linked out to The New York Times article and added, “Thank you for being exactly the human that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”

Another supporter was Jenny Slate, who played Baldoni’s character Ryle’s sister. In a statement to Today on December 23rd, she expressed her support for Lively:

“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,” said Slate. “Blake is a leader, loyal friend and a trusted source of emotional support for me and so many who know and love her.”

She continued, “What has been revealed about the attack on Blake is terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening.” Slate added, “I commend my friend, I admire her bravery, and I stand by her side.”

In addition to this, Brandon Sklenar-a love interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series-shared a screenshot of the complaint published on The New York Times website and linked out to the outlet with the caption, “For the love of God read this.”

Furthermore, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn wrote they “stand with her in solidarity.

Liz Plank recently shared on Instagram that she is leaving her role as co-host of The Man Enough Podcast, which she shared with Baldoni and Heath. In her message, she thanked listeners for their trust and support over the past four years and expressed gratitude for the community they built together. Although she did not provide a reason for her departure, it came shortly after Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank reassured her followers that she remains committed to the values they have built together and intends to share more about the situation soon as she processes everything that has happened. In the meantime, she will continue to support those who speak out against injustice and hold those accountable who stand in their way.

In a lawsuit filed on December 24th in New York, Stephanie Jones, Baldoni’s former publicist, along with her agency Jonesworks LLC, accused Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, Abel (Baldoni’s current publicist), Nathan (a crisis communications specialist), and others of conspiring to harm Jones and her business. The lawsuit claims that these defendants secretly collaborated for months to damage Jones’ reputation, breach contracts, and steal clients.

According to the lawsuit obtained by NBC News, Abel and Nathan orchestrated a smear campaign against Baldoni’s co-star without Jones’ knowledge, then used a subsequent crisis as an opportunity to create discord between her and Baldoni, falsely blaming Jones for the smear campaign.

It is mentioned that Abel had worked at Jonesworks until last summer as per her LinkedIn profile. The lawsuit alleges that Abel and Nathan are now falsely implicating Jones as their misconduct comes to light, defaming her in the industry.

Regarding Baldoni and Wayfarer, who were once clients of Jonesworks, the suit accuses them of breaking their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to resolve this dispute privately through arbitration. The TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.

In a statement given to Variety on December 23, Lively’s lawyers revealed they obtained the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents Nathan, Abel, Baldoni, and his Wayfarer associates, further stated that none of his clients were subpoenaed regarding 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 $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times Dec. 31.

In the suit obtained by TopMob, The New York Times was 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 said, “lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.”

They alleged “it was Lively, not Plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign.” She denied this.

The New York Times said it planned 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. The lawsuit, as stated in court documents procured by TopMob News, accuses the defendants of sexual harassment, retaliation, negligence, and breach of contract, among other charges. These accusations were initially outlined in the CRD complaint she filed earlier that month. In response to a lawsuit filed against her by Baldoni and his associates concerning The New York Times-where Lively was not listed as a defendant-her legal team stated that this new lawsuit does not affect the claims made in her CRD and federal complaints. They also noted that the premise of this lawsuit, which suggests Lively’s administrative complaint against Wayfarer and others was only a pretense to avoid suing Baldoni, is false, as demonstrated by the federal complaint she filed earlier that day.

In their lawsuit against The New York Times, Baldoni and his team have made it clear that they are far from finished, as further legal action is imminent. Court documents indicate there are more parties involved, and this is not the only lawsuit they intend to file. During a recent interview with NBC News on January 2nd, Baldoni’s attorney Freedman confirmed their plans to take legal action against Lively.

The news about Baldoni and Lively didn’t end there, though. For example, people on social media suggested that Reynolds might have poked fun at Baldoni in his film “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.

Reynolds hasn’t spoken out about these rumors publicly, but Baldoni’s lawyer, Freedman, shared his thoughts. In an interview on The Megyn Kelly Show (available on YouTube from Jan 7), Freedman stated, “If your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make fun of Justin Baldoni. You don’t make light of the situation. You treat it seriously by filing HR complaints, raising the issue and following a legal process. What you definitely shouldn’t do is joke about it.

In a statement made on January 7th to TopMob News, Ms. Lively’s legal team clarified that her lawsuit against the Southern District of New York is based on severe accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation. They emphasized that this is not a petty dispute arising from creative differences or he-said-she-said scenarios. Instead, Wayfarer and its associates are alleged to have carried out unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for standing up for herself and others on a film set. Since the lawsuit was filed, they continued, further attacks have been launched against Ms. Lively.

Their statement concluded by urging everyone to remember that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in all workplaces and industries. They warned against deflecting from such misconduct allegations by blaming the victim or reversing the roles of offender and victim. They also stated that making statements to the media does not serve as a defense for the claims made against Ms. Lively, and they intend to pursue her case in court.

Regarding the allegations, attorney Freedman stated to TopMob: “It’s ironic in a painful way that Blake Lively claims Justin Baldoni is exploiting media when it was actually her team who initiated this malicious attack by sharing heavily edited documents with the New York Times before even submitting the complaint.”

He further explained, “We are disclosing all the proof to expose a pattern of intimidation and coercion in the movie industry. Given her history, it won’t be shocking as Blake Lively has often used others to convey threats and force her way to achieve her goals. We have the records and much more.

On January 16th in New York, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, publicist Abel, crisis communication specialist Nathan, and It Ends With Us Movie LLC filed a lawsuit against Blake Lively, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and her firm Vision PR. The suit, obtained by TopMob News, accuses all defendants of civil extortion, defamation, false light invasion of privacy, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, intentional and negligent interference with contractual relations, and economic advantage.

The plaintiffs deny Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Instead, they allege that she seized control of It Ends With Us, colluded with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the plaintiffs’ reputation in the press following backlash from her film promotion tactics. Lively stated in her filings that she promoted the movie according to Sony’s marketing plan.

The plaintiffs also claim that the defendants conspired with The New York Times to publish a sensational and untrue news report. The outlet has defended its report. In response, Freedman from the plaintiff side stated, “Blake Lively was either deceived by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth.

In a statement to TopMob News, Lively’s legal team characterized her lawsuit as “a common tactic used by abusers,” explaining that “This scenario has been played out many times: A woman presents proof of sexual misconduct and retaliation, and the offender tries to counterattack the accuser. This is often referred to as DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.”

Furthermore, she alleged that Baldoni was attempting to distort the truth by claiming that Lively took creative control and alienated the cast from him.

Her legal team asserted, “The facts will demonstrate that the cast and others had their own unfavorable experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer. The evidence will also reveal that Sony asked Ms. Lively to supervise their portion of the film, which they then selected for distribution, resulting in a significant success.”
it was consensual, it’s her fault. Their explanation for why this happened to her: look at what she was wearing,” they said. “In essence, while the victim concentrates on the abuse, the abuser focuses on the victim. The strategy of attacking the woman is weak, it does not dispute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fall short.

As a lifestyle expert, I’d like to shed light on a recent development in Hollywood regarding the filming of the movie “It Ends With Us”. In a statement released by my legal team, we shared behind-the-scenes footage that demonstrates my actions during filming were completely mischaracterized.

The scene in question was intended to depict our characters falling deeply in love and yearning for intimacy. Throughout the scene, both myself and my co-star maintained a respectful and professional demeanor. However, it appears there may be a misunderstanding regarding the improvisation involved in certain moments.

On the other hand, Ms. Lively’s legal team contends that this footage supports her account in her lawsuit. They claim that every instance in the video was unplanned and unapproved by either party. The footage shows Ms. Lively distancing herself and repeatedly asking for our characters to simply talk instead of engaging in physical actions.

It’s essential to emphasize that any woman who has experienced inappropriate behavior at work will likely recognize Ms. Lively’s discomfort in the video. This situation underscores the importance of open communication, consent, and mutual respect within the industry.

In my role as a dedicated follower, I penned a missive to the presiding judge in our ongoing case, earnestly advocating for Freedman, the leader of Baldoni’s legal team, to be bound by a gag order during our court proceedings. My intention was to safeguard against any potential misconduct that could arise during the legal process.

As a devoted fan, I’d like to share a rephrased version of a statement: A seven-minute voice message, allegedly sent by Baldoni during the production of “It Ends With Us,” surfaced online. In this message, he seemed to discuss the movie’s pivotal rooftop scene that Lively had rewritten. This conversation, according to reports, took place in a meeting with Reynolds and their close friend Taylor Swift.

Baldoni expressed his admiration for Lively, saying, “It’s incredible to have friends like you, not just because they’re some of the most creative minds on the planet, but because the three of you together is simply astonishing.”

In the recording, Baldoni also seemed to express remorse for his initial response to Lively’s script, stating, “I made a mistake. One thing you should know about me is that I will acknowledge and apologize when I fall short.

Approximately one month following Lively’s legal action against Baldoni, the court scheduled a hearing for March 9, 2026.

Baldoni’s team recently updated their counterclaim against Lively, Reynolds, Sloane, Vision PR Inc., and now The New York Times, as reported by TopMob News. In the revised document, Baldoni claims that Lively and her associates conspired for months to spread false information to The New York Times.

The filing accuses the newspaper of selectively choosing communications, removing important context, and manipulating them to deceive.

Baldoni unveiled a website detailing his lawsuit against Lively, including his updated complaint and a chronology of important events. This timeline reportedly included claimed screenshots of text conversations between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni.

Following this announcement, Freedman had earlier mentioned that they intended to reveal every single text message exchanged between the two parties.

In an interview with NBC News on January 2nd, Baldoni’s legal representative stated, “We want the facts to be exposed. We want the evidence to be available. We hope people will make their judgments based on proof.

In the updated lawsuit, Lively’s lawyers asserted that two other female colleagues who worked on the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ had previously expressed discomfort with Baldoni’s on-set behavior. This wasn’t a unique complaint by Lively, the lawyers claim. The incidents were recorded when they happened, starting from May 2023. Crucially, contrary to the story the defendants have fabricated, Baldoni admitted to receiving these complaints in writing at that time. He was aware that besides Lively, other women also felt uneasy and had lodged complaints about his conduct.

However, the identities of the two witnesses supporting Lively were not disclosed due to a potentially hostile environment created by the defendants’ campaign of retaliation, according to Lively. In response to TopMob News, Freedman contested the lawsuit, claiming it was filled with “unsubstantiated hearsay,” and alleged that the unnamed individuals are no longer willing or ready to support Lively’s allegations in public.

Following Baldoni’s allegations that Sloane spread “harmful tales” and organized a “defamation scheme” at Lively’s behest, labeling him as a “sexual predator,” Sloane asked to have his case dismissed from the legal proceedings.

According to documents acquired by TopMob News, Sloane’s legal representative claimed that there was no substantial evidence to support the allegations against their client. Instead, it was argued that she had been unfairly drawn into the lawsuit as a tactic to divert attention away from Lively’s accusations, essentially using her as a smokescreen.

Energetically, Nick Shapiro, who previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the CIA, was recruited to provide counsel on the legal communications strategy for the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York. This information was shared by a team member from her litigation firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher with Variety on February 28th.

Shapiro, who served for the CIA from 2013 to 2015 during the Obama administration, later moved on to become Visa’s vice president of global security and communications, and then Airbnb’s head of global crisis management. After spending three years at the rental company, he established his own consulting business called 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.

As a devoted follower, I’m sharing that I, myself, have learned that The New York Times has submitted a motion to be released from the $400 million lawsuit involving Lively, Baldoni, Sloane, and Sloane’s company. This information was made public by TopMob News upon obtaining the necessary documents.

As a die-hard fan, I’ve got to set the record straight! Baldoni’s team has been spinning a one-sided yarn that’s made quite the media sensation, but let me tell you, The New York Times doesn’t need to be part of this drama. That’s right, folks – even though they initially sued The New York Times for $250 million and later added them to a $400 million lawsuit, the court documents obtained by Deadline show that The New York Times was ultimately dismissed from the case! So there you have it, I stand with The New York Times on this one! 😉

According to TopMob News reports, Judge Lewis J. Liman agreed to pause the discovery process for The New York Times following their motion for dismissal. This means that both parties will temporarily halt exchanging information and documents while Judge Liman reviews The New York Times’ motion filed on February 28. In his March 4 document, Judge Liman acknowledged that The New York Times presented substantial reasons and a strong case supporting their motion to dismiss, stating it is likely to succeed on its merits. Additionally, the judge believed that Baldoni’s team would not be unfairly prejudiced by this temporary stay. In response to the decision, a spokesperson for The New York Times expressed gratitude towards the court’s recognition of the First Amendment values involved in the case and stated that the court has stopped Baldoni from burdening The Times with unnecessary discovery requests.

Following Baldoni’s allegation that Lively exploited her friendship with Swift to gain greater creative influence over “It Ends With Us,” and his legal team’s attempt to summon the singer, a representative for Swift issued a counterstatement.

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I’d like to clarify that personally, I’ve never been part of the movie set in question, contrary to some speculations. I didn’t participate in any casting or creative decision-making processes, neither did I compose the music for the film. To add, I’ve never had the opportunity to view an edit or offer suggestions regarding this project.

The representative explained that Taylor Swift’s connection to this movie was primarily because she granted permission for her song, ‘My Tears Ricochet,’ to be used. However, they noted that many other artists also did the same. Consequently, the subpoena aimed at involving Taylor Swift seems to be more about generating public attention through sensationalism rather than focusing on the actual details of the case.

Baldoni’s attorneys withdrew their request later that month, per Lively’s legal team.

In a ruling, the judge dismissed the countersuit directed towards Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Sloane, Sloane’s company Vision PR, and The New York Times. This decision was made because Baldoni and his legal team were unable to establish their claims of defamation or civil extortion during the proceedings.

In an Instagram post, Lively expressed that, like many others, she has experienced the hurt of a counter-lawsuit and the attempt at manufactured humiliation aimed to undermine us. After the lawsuit against her was dropped, she noted that not everyone possesses the means to defend themselves when faced with such legal battles.

She said, “I express my heartfelt appreciation and love towards all those who have supported me. Some of you are familiar to me, while others may not be. Yet, my gratitude never ends, and I will always champion your causes.

Simultaneously, Baldoni’s lawyer communicated to TopMob News, stating that Lively’s claim of victory was, in fact, baseless.

The lawyer stated that this situation involves allegations of unfounded sexual harassment and reprisals, along with an alleged unsubstantiated smear campaign. Interestingly, Ms. Lively’s team refers to it as ‘untraceable’, suggesting that they can’t provide evidence for events that are said not to have transpired.

In my role as a lifestyle expert, I’d rephrase that statement as follows:

“Recently, I found myself seated for a deposition at my legal team’s office in New York City. Contrary to certain media portrayals, this was not an intense, face-to-face confrontation between myself and Baldoni. In fact, my lawyers have since filed a motion to correct the misconception that I required a substantial group of individuals to support me during my testimony.

According to Lively’s attorney’s account, Baldoni was indeed present in the same room as the other defendants mentioned in the lawsuit, along with their legal representatives.

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2025-09-12 19:48