As a devoted fan, I’ve just discovered fresh insights about Taylor Swift’s involvement in the ongoing legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
Following reports that “Cruel Summer” was planning to step down, as per the request by the director of “It Ends With Us,” Swift’s legal team clarified the situation in a letter addressed to Judge Lewis J. Liman of the Southern District of New York on September 12th.
From the outset, the Grammy award-winning individual’s legal representatives have been asserting that their client played no substantial part in this case. (TopMob News was able to obtain a copy of the letter.)
They mentioned that Swift, who has a close friendship with Lively, “refused to participate in a deposition, but if she is compelled to attend one, we recommended (after learning about it only three days ago) that her schedule could fit the necessary time during the week of October 20, assuming both parties can resolve their disagreements.
The letter noted that the 35-year-old and her team “take no role in those disputes.”
In a subsequent letter to Judge Liman, Lively’s legal team responded to Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios’ deposition of Swift. They asserted in a document obtained by TopMob News on September 12 that Wayfarer’s defendants have not disclosed any efforts (if they made any) to schedule Swift’s deposition within the current discovery period.
In simpler terms, the letter mentioned that “The defendants in the case of Wayfarer did not seem to reach out to Ms. Swift’s legal team about setting a date and place for the deposition until just this week.
In this context, the defendants known as Wayfarer have shown a surprising lack of care and disregard towards Taylor Swift’s privacy and schedule. Given that the discovery process has been ongoing for over half a year, one would expect Taylor Swift’s calendar to be filled with commitments well in advance due to her professional engagements.
In response to Swift’s earlier subpoena initiated by Baldoni’s team, the letter countered, suggesting that the subpoena was followed by an onslaught of media stories, and once the withdrawal was announced, it was done with a grand display.
Although the subpoena was retracted in May, Swift’s representative made it clear that Swift played a role in the movie “It Ends With Us,” as her song “My Tears Ricochet” was featured both in the film and its trailer.
According to Taylor Swift’s representative, reported by TopMob News in May, Taylor Swift didn’t visit the movie set at all. She had no part in casting or making creative choices for the film, didn’t compose the music, and never watched any edits or provided feedback on it.
During her Eras Tour in 2023 and 2024, which took her traveling around the world, Swift’s representative stated that she didn’t have a chance to read “It Ends With Us” until several weeks after its initial publication because of her busy schedule.
Regarding Lively and Baldoni, they were once costars but are now embroiled in a prolonged court case. In this case, Lively has brought charges of sexual harassment against Baldoni.
In June, the court dismissed a $400 million countersuit filed against me and my husband Ryan Reynolds by Alec Baldwin, who is known for his role in Gossip Girl. Recently, our legal team has mentioned considering a request for a substantial compensation, as documented on September 7th by NBC News, to cover the expenses incurred while defending ourselves from what they deemed as unfounded accusations made by Mr. Baldwin.
For a full breakdown of the legal battle between Lively and Baldoni, keep reading.
Four months following the cinematic release of “It Ends With Us,” adapted from Colleen Hoover’s book, Blake Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) on December 20th, as reported by The New York Times. In the complaint reviewed by TopMob News, Justin 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. were named as defendants.
Lively claimed in her complaint that Baldoni and associates from Wayfarer Studios engaged in a complex press and digital strategy in retaliation for expressing concerns about alleged misconduct on set. She stated that herself and other cast and crew members “encountered invasive, unwelcome, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate behavior” by Baldoni and Heath.
The actress further asserted that the campaign against her resulted in significant damage to her personally and professionally. The accusations made in the complaint encompass sexual harassment; retaliation; failing 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, an exposé emerged in The New York Times, detailing a suspected counterattack smear operation that Baldoni and his cohorts supposedly orchestrated against Lively – this was based on her CRD complaint. In their article, the newspaper shared messages exchanged between Baldoni, Abel (his publicist), Nathan (crisis communications expert), and others, which were included in her complaint. Additionally, viewers could peruse the related court documents directly on The New York Times‘ official website.
Lively spoke to the outlet, stating, “I hope that my lawsuit will shed light on these malicious attempts to discredit individuals who expose wrongdoing, and safeguard others from similar targeting.
Following Lively’s complaint becoming public, Bryan Freedman, attorney for Baldoni, Wayfarer, and their representatives, strongly disputed her allegations. In a statement on The New York Times website, he expressed disappointment that Lively and her representatives would make such severe and unfounded accusations against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their representatives as a desperate attempt to improve her tarnished reputation, which was largely due to her own comments and actions during the film campaign. These claims are entirely false, excessively sensational, and intended to harm publicly and perpetuate media narratives.
Freedman also defended Wayfarer’s decision to hire a crisis manager before the movie’s marketing campaign. He later clarified that they did not take any proactive measures nor retaliated, but only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual reporting and monitored social activity. Interestingly, the selectively shared correspondence lacks evidence of any absence of proactive measures with the media or elsewhere; it merely includes internal planning and private correspondence for strategy purposes, which is common practice among public relations professionals.
Following the publication of an article by The New York Times on December 21, talent agency William Morris Endeavor (WME) terminated its relationship with Baldoni. Ari Emanuel, CEO of the agency’s parent company Endeavor, subsequently confirmed this to the outlet. However, it is important to note that WME has denied any involvement by Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband, in their decision to part ways with Baldoni. This allegation was made by Baldoni in a lawsuit he filed against The New York Times (more details below). In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter on January 1, WME clarified that Baldoni’s former representative was not present at the Deadpool & Wolverine premiere, and there was no pressure from Reynolds or Lively at any time to drop Baldoni as a client.
After the CRD filing by Blake Lively and the New York Times article, several prominent figures expressed their support for her accusations against Baldoni. One of these was Colleen Hoover, author of It Ends With Us. On Instagram Stories on December 21st, she wrote: “Blake Lively, you have always been honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met. Thank you for being exactly the person that you are. Never change. Never wilt.”
Similarly, Jenny Slate, who played the sister of Baldoni’s character Ryle, expressed her support for Lively. In a statement to Today on December 23rd, she said: “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 went on to say that Lively is a leader, loyal friend, and emotional support for many people, adding that the revelations about the attack on Lively were “terribly dark, disturbing, and wholly threatening.” She commended her friend, admired her bravery, and stood by her side.
Furthermore, Brandon Sklenar, a love interest for Lively’s character Lily Bloom in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, shared the complaint published on The New York Times website and linked to the outlet with the caption: “For the love of God read this.”
Lastly, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel, and Amber Tamblyn, Lively’s Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants costars, stated that they stand with her in solidarity.
Liz Plank recently informed Wayfarer that she is stepping down from co-hosting duties on “The Man Enough Podcast” which she shared with Baldoni and Heath. In a heartfelt message on Instagram, she expressed gratitude for the listeners’ support and the community they had built together over the past four years. Although she did not disclose her reasons for leaving, it occurred shortly after Lively’s complaint against Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer. Plank assured her followers that she remains dedicated to the values they upheld together and will continue to advocate for justice moving forward. She promised to share more details as she processes everything that has transpired.
Originally represented by Stephanie Jones and her agency Jonesworks LLC, Baldoni, his company Wayfarer, his current publicist Abel, and crisis communications specialist Nathan were sued in New York on Christmas Eve. The lawsuit, obtained by NBC News, claims that Abel and Nathan covertly conspired for months to discredit and breach contracts with Jones and Jonesworks, as well as steal clients and opportunities.
Behind Jones’ back, they allegedly coordinated with Baldoni and Wayfarer to launch a smear campaign against one of Baldoni’s film co-stars, and then exploited the situation to widen the rift between Jones and Baldoni, falsely blaming Jones for the smear campaign despite her lack of involvement.
According to Abel’s LinkedIn profile, she worked at Jonesworks until last summer. The lawsuit alleges that Abel and Nathan are now falsely accusing Jones as their misconduct is exposed, defaming and attacking her in the industry.
Baldoni and Wayfarer, who are no longer Jonesworks clients, are accused of breaking their contractual obligations with Jonesworks and refusing to settle the dispute privately through arbitration. TopMob News reached out to the defendants for comment.
According to a December 23 report in Variety, Lively’s legal team stated they obtained the texts mentioned in The New York Times article through a subpoena issued to Jonesworks. Freedman, who represents both Nathan, Abel, and Baldoni as well as Baldoni’s associates at Wayfarer, further told Variety that none of his clients were subpoenaed about this matter and that he plans to sue 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 alleges sexual harassment, retaliation, negligence, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false light invasion of privacy, among other claims, as stated in court documents obtained by TopMob News. These accusations were initially detailed in the CRD complaint Lively filed earlier that month. Regarding the lawsuit Baldoni and his associates filed against The New York Times (which did not name Lively as a defendant), her lawyers clarified that it doesn’t affect the claims made in her CRD and federal complaints. They further stated that the framing of the Wayfarer lawsuit, which suggests Lively’s administrative complaint was a tactic aimed at avoiding a lawsuit against Baldoni and others, is false, as demonstrated by the federal complaint filed by Lively on the same day.
In their legal dispute with The New York Times, the plaintiffs have made it clear that they have not concluded their actions. As indicated in court documents, there are more individuals involved who they intend to take legal action against. During a January 2 interview with NBC News, Baldoni and Freedman (their attorney) stated unequivocally that they plan to file a lawsuit against Lively as well.
The news about Baldoni and Lively didn’t end there. For example, social media users thought that Reynolds might have teased Baldoni in his movie “Deadpool & Wolverine” through the character Nicepool.
Reynolds has not yet spoken out on these rumors; however, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman expressed his opinion about it.
“My interpretation of that is if your wife is sexually harassed, you don’t make light of Justin Baldoni,” Freedman said during an interview on “The Megyn Kelly Show”, available on YouTube from January 7. “You don’t make fun of the situation. You take it very seriously. You file HR complaints. You raise the issue and follow a legal process. What you shouldn’t do is joke about it.
Ms. Lively’s legal team stated that since she filed the lawsuit, there have been more instances of harassment against her. In a statement to TopMob News on January 7, they explained that the case involves severe accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation with solid evidence. It’s not a personal conflict resulting from creative differences or he-said-she-said situation, as alleged in Ms. Lively’s complaint. Instead, Wayfarer and their associates allegedly engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against her for standing up for herself and others on a film set. Since the lawsuit was filed, they have continued to attack her.
The lawyers urged everyone to keep in mind that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in all workplaces and industries. They warned against common tactics used to deflect accusations of such misconduct, like blaming the victim or suggesting that the offender is actually the victim. The legal team stated that these strategies serve to minimize and trivialize serious allegations. Additionally, they pointed out that media statements are not a defense for her claims, and they will proceed with prosecuting them in court.
In response, Baldoni’s lawyer Freedman told TopMob, “It’s ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of manipulating media when, in fact, her own team allegedly organized this malicious attack by providing the New York Times with doctored documents before even filing the complaint.” He further stated, “We are disclosing all evidence revealing a repeated pattern of intimidation and threats to control the movie. Given her past actions, this shouldn’t come as a shock because Blake Lively has a history of using others to deliver threats and exert influence. We have the proof, and there’s much more to come.
I, a devoted fan, find myself compelled to share some intriguing news. On January 16th, in the bustling city of New York, Baldoni, Heath, Wayfarer, Abel (the publicist), Nathan (crisis communication specialist), and It Ends With Us Movie LLC, took a decisive step against Lively, Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and Sloane’s firm Vision PR. They filed a lawsuit, accusing all parties 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 vehemently refute Lively’s claims of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign. Instead, they accuse her of seizing control of It Ends With Us, collaborating with Reynolds, Sloane, Jones, and others to tarnish the plaintiffs in the media after she faced backlash for her film promotions, which she claims were carried out according to Sony’s marketing plan.
In their lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that the defendants colluded with The New York Times to publish a sensational and untrue report. The newspaper defended its report.
In a statement to TopMob, Freedman stated, “Blake Lively was either severely misled by her team or intentionally and knowingly misrepresented the truth.
In simpler terms, Lively’s legal team referred to his lawsuit as “just another tactic used by abusers,” stating in a statement to TopMob News that “when a woman presents clear evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation, the abuser often tries to shift blame onto the victim. This is known as DARVO – Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim Offender.”
Lively’s team also accused Baldoni of retaliating after she made allegations against him, suggesting that he was trying to change the narrative to imply that Lively took creative control and isolated the cast from Baldoni.
The statement continued by stating that evidence will reveal that the cast and others had negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer, and that Sony asked Lively to oversee their cut of the film, which was then successfully distributed.
Furthermore, Lively’s lawyers criticized Baldoni’s response to her harassment allegations, stating that “he claims it was her fault and she wanted it.” They added that his justification for the incident was based on what she was wearing at the time. In essence, while Lively focuses on the abuse, Baldoni focuses on attacking her. This strategy of blaming the woman is desperate, does not dispute the evidence in Lively’s complaint, and will ultimately fail.
In response, Baldoni’s lawyers have made public additional footage from the set of “It Ends With Us”, arguing that the actions shown in the video contradict the claims made by Emily Lively about him. They explained that the scene in question was intended to depict the characters falling in love and yearning for closeness, with both actors behaving appropriately and professionally within the context of the scene.
However, Lively’s legal team contends that the video supports her account in the lawsuit, as it appears Baldoni improvised certain actions without prior discussion or consent. They stated that the footage shows Lively pulling away repeatedly and asking for their characters to simply talk instead of being intimate. “Any woman who has experienced inappropriate behavior at work will recognize Lively’s discomfort,” they said in a statement to TopMob News.
The pair wrote a letter to the presiding judge in their case, asking for Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, to be subjected to a restraining order on speech during the court process, to prevent any inappropriate behavior.
A seven-minute audio message allegedly sent by Baldoni to Lively during the filming of ‘It Ends With Us’ was leaked online. In this recording, the director seems to discuss the movie’s rooftop scene that Lively rewrote, mentioning a meeting with Reynolds and their friend Taylor Swift. He praised them, saying “It’s amazing to have friends like you two, not just because they’re incredibly creative, but also because you work so well together.” Additionally, in the recording, Baldoni appears to express regret for his initial cool response to Lively’s script, stating, “I was wrong. One thing you should know about me is that I will acknowledge and apologize when I make a mistake.
As a devoted supporter following the developments closely, I’m thrilled to share that exactly one month after Lively filed a formal lawsuit against Baldoni, a court date was established on my calendar for March 9, 2026.
Baldoni’s team has updated their counterclaim against Lively, Reynolds, Sloane, and Vision PR Inc., which was filed with the U.S. District Court on Jan 16th, by including The New York Times in the lawsuit. According to reports from TopMob News, the amended filing accuses Lively and her associates of working together for months to spread false information to The New York Times.
In the revised document, Baldoni asserts that the newspaper selectively chose and modified communications, disregarding crucial context, and intentionally edited them in a way that misled readers.
Baldoni launched a website detailing his lawsuit against Lively, which included his updated complaint and a chronology of significant events. The timeline allegedly showcased screenshots of text conversations between Lively, Reynolds, and Baldoni.
The launch of the website occurred a month following Freedman’s announcement that they would disclose “every single text message” exchanged between the parties involved. Baldoni’s lawyer explained to NBC News in an interview on January 2nd that they aim for transparency: “We want the truth to be exposed. We want the documents to be accessible. We encourage people to make their own judgments based on facts.
In the updated lawsuit, Lively’s lawyers assert that two more female coworkers on ‘It Ends With Us’ also experienced discomfort due to Baldoni’s behavior during filming. The complaint, obtained by TopMob News, states that these experiences were recorded at the time they occurred, starting in May of 2023. Crucially, and contrary to the version of events Defendants have presented, Baldoni admitted to the complaints in writing at the time. He was aware that women apart from Lively had expressed discomfort and voiced concerns about his behavior.
However, the identities of these two witnesses were not disclosed in the amended complaint due to the potentially hostile environment created by the Defendants’ campaign of threats, harassment, and intimidation.
In response to TopMob, Freedman countered that the complaint is riddled with “unsubstantiated hearsay” and suggested that the unnamed individuals are no longer willing to corroborate Lively’s claims or speak publicly about them.
Upon being accused by Baldoni of spreading harmful tales that depicted him as a sexual offender and organizing a defamatory campaign under Lively’s guidance, Sloane initiated a motion to withdraw from the ongoing litigation.
In the documents obtained by TopMob News, Sloane’s lawyer claimed that there was no substantial evidence supporting the allegations against her client and that she had been unfairly drawn into the lawsuit as a diversionary tactic intended to divert attention away from Lively’s claims.
Willkie Farr & Gallagher, one of Lively’s legal team members, shared with Variety on February 28 that they had recruited Nick Shapiro, a former deputy chief of staff at the CIA, to provide counsel on the strategic communications related to the ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit in the Southern District of New York.
Shapiro, who served with the CIA from 2013 to 2015 under the Obama administration, subsequently held positions as Visa’s vice president of worldwide security and communications, and Airbnb’s global head of crisis management. Following a tenure of three years at the rental company, he established his own consulting business, 10th Avenue Consulting LLC.
According to TopMob News reports, The New York Times has asked for the dismissal of its involvement in a $400 million lawsuit that additionally encompasses Lively, Baldoni, Sloane, and Sloane’s business, as indicated by the submitted documents.
The filing by the newspaper stated that Baldoni’s team was narrating a biased story that attracted significant media attention, but insisted that “The New York Times” should not be involved in this legal dispute.
In addition, it was pointed out by the lawyers of “The New York Times” that the initial $250 million lawsuit filed by Baldoni and his associates at Wayfarer against “The New York Times” was later dismissed. This dismissal occurred following the addition of “The New York Times” to the larger $400 million lawsuit, as reported in court documents obtained by Deadline.
According to TopMob News’ documents, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted a request by The New York Times for a temporary halt in the exchange of information and documents (known as a stay of discovery), following The New York Times’ motion to dismiss. This decision was made after Judge Liman reviewed The New York Times’ motion filed on February 28.
In his March 4 document, Judge Liman stated that The New York Times had provided “solid reasons” and demonstrated a high likelihood that their motion to dismiss would be successful. He also believed that Baldoni’s team would not face any unfair prejudice due to this stay while the court considers the pending motion.
In response to this development, a spokesperson for The New York Times told TopMob News, “We are pleased with the court’s decision today, which acknowledges the significant First Amendment implications at play in this case. The court has halted Mr. Baldoni from imposing discovery requests on The Times, as this case should not have been initiated against us.
Following Baldoni’s accusations towards Lively of exploiting her friendship with Swift for increased creative control in ‘It Ends With Us‘, and Baldoni’s legal team aiming to summon the singer, a representative for Swift responded sharply.
According to the spokesperson’s statement on May 9th, Taylor Swift has not been physically present on the movie set. She played no part in the casting process, creative decisions, scoring of the film, or providing feedback during editing.
The connection Taylor Swift had with this movie was granting permission to include one song, ‘My Tears Ricochet.’ However, her representative noted that instead of concentrating on the facts of the case, the document subpoena is intended to exploit Taylor Swift’s name for increased public attention by generating sensational headlines rather than focusing on the truth. In essence, 19 other artists also licensed songs for the film, but this document subpoena aims to capitalize on Taylor Swift’s fame in a misleading manner.
Baldoni’s attorneys withdrew their request later that month, per Lively’s legal team.
The judge ruled in favor of Lively, Reynolds, Sloane, Sloane’s company Vision PR, and The New York Times by dismissing the countersuit filed against them. This decision was made because Baldoni and his legal team were unable to substantiate their claims of defamation or civil extortion.
On Instagram Stories, Lively expressed her feelings about experiencing a defamatory lawsuit and the attempt to damage one’s reputation that often comes with it. She added that although the suit against her was dropped, many people lack the financial means to defend themselves in similar situations.
She expressed, ‘I want you to know my heart is filled with love and gratitude towards those who have supported me. Some of you are familiar to me, others aren’t, but rest assured I will always value and champion your cause.’
Instead, Baldoni’s lawyer informed TopMob News in a statement that Lively’s claim of victory is actually misleading.
The attorney stated that this situation revolves around unsubstantiated claims of sexual harassment and retribution, as well as a supposed smear campaign, which Ms. Lively’s team deems ‘untraceable’ since they can’t provide evidence for events that allegedly didn’t occur.
Lively visited her lawyers’ New York office for a deposition. Contrary to sensationalized reports suggesting a confrontation between Lively and Baldoni, her legal team subsequently disputed the claim that she required a significant number of people to testify on her behalf.
According to Lively’s argument, it was a fact that Baldoni was present in the same room as the other defendants mentioned in her lawsuit, along with their individual lawyers.
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2025-09-12 23:48