Taylor Swift’s subpoena in the Blake Lively lawsuit ends their friendship in shocking drama.
Taylor Swift is off the hook in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle, as the actor’s team has pulled the subpoena for the singer.
Earlier this month, Swift, 35, whose song My Tears Ricochet appears in the movie It Ends With Us, was served a subpoena by Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman. The singer’s management quickly fired back. The court documents also revealed that Lively allegedly attempted to pressure Swift into publicly supporting her, threatening to leak years of private text messages.
Baldoni has withdrawn the request for Swift’s testimony regarding what she knew about former friend Lively’s dispute with the actor. An insider exclusively shared the reason behind the decision, saying, “Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, dropped the subpoena request because they got exactly what they wanted.”
“Sending a subpoena to Taylor and her response has given Baldoni’s team everything they needed. Taylor confirmed she had no involvement, which directly contradicts Blake’s claims.
Her statement highlights that Blake lied about key details in the case. Additionally, the court now has documented proof showing that Blake’s attorneys did indeed threaten to leak Taylor’s private texts, with evidence to support this.”
“Taylor was always seen as the key player in this, and everyone is thrilled with the outcome and the information it provided. They got everything they hoped for—and more.”
Lively’s spokesperson told us: “We are pleased that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties have withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her legal team.”
“We supported Taylor’s team in fighting to quash these inappropriate subpoenas directed at her legal counsel, and we will continue to stand up for anyone unjustly harassed or threatened in this process.”
When the original subpoena was issued, Swift’s representative said: “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, did not score the film, never saw an edit, and didn’t watch It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release. She was traveling the world during 2023 and 2024, headlining the biggest tour in history.”
Her representative also clarified that Swift’s only involvement in the film was the inclusion of her track My Tears Ricochetfrom her 2020 album Folklore.
The statement concluded: “Since her involvement was limited to licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this subpoena seems designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to attract public attention and create tabloid clickbait, rather than focusing on the facts of the case.”
Meanwhile, Lively’s representative told People: “Mr. Baldoni, Mr. Sarowitz, and their team continue to turn a case of sexual harassment and retaliation into tabloid entertainment… Going so far as to suggest they sell tickets to Madison Square Garden to witness Ms. Lively’s deposition and subpoenaing Taylor Swift, a woman who has empowered millions around the world.”
“This is a serious legal matter, not Barnum & Bailey’s Circus.”
The representative also stated, “The defendants continue to publicly intimidate, bully, shame, and attack women’s rights and reputations. Just last month, they sought to strike down a powerful California victims’ rights law, calling it ‘unconstitutional.'”
“The disturbing actions of a billionaire and men who built their careers as ‘female allies,’ along with their team, continue to reveal their true colors.”
Earlier this year, reports emerged that Swift had distanced herself from her friendship with Lively after feeling used as an ‘intimidation tactic’ in a lawsuit she never wanted to be involved in.
The singer was pulled into the heated legal dispute between Lively and Baldoni when he alleged that his co-star used Swift to intimidate him during a meeting with Reynolds about changes she made to a rooftop scene in It Ends with Us.
In his $400 million lawsuit filed in January, Baldoni claimed that Swift’s presence made him feel pressured to “comply with Blake’s direction for the script.”
Lively later appeared to threaten Baldoni, comparing herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi in a series of text messages where she referred to Reynolds, 48, and her best friend as her “dragons.”
Khaleesi, or Daenerys Targaryen, the Mother of Dragons, is one of the main characters in Game of Thrones (2011-2019).
A second source revealed, “Taylor has politely distanced herself from it all. She is mindful of her public image and hates being involved.”
According to Baldoni’s lawsuit, Lively threatened to withhold approval of the film trailer unless she received extra time to work on the movie’s cut with her personal editor.
In his lawsuit, Baldoni claimed that the actress threatened to “change her mind” about reaching out to Swift to secure the use of her hit 2020 track My Tears Ricochet.
The song was ultimately used in the trailer, but Baldoni alleged that Lively leveraged her friendship with Swift to ensure her demands were met.
An alleged text exchange with a Sony executive stated: “Blake is calling Taylor to approve the song. She just reached out saying she’s asking for time with [REDACTED] her editor. We know it was conditional on signing the contract – but asking if you will reconsider so [REDACTED] can release the trailer and Blake doesn’t change her mind about calling Taylor Swift.”
Baldoni mentioned they agreed to her demands in order to move forward with the plans. The exchange reportedly occurred in May 2024.
Lively and Swift were last seen together in Rhode Island in August 2024, and before that, they were pictured in October at a private event.
The outing took place two months before Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a toxic work environment on the set of It Ends with Us.
Around the same time, The New York Times published a story based on her legal filing, alleging that Baldoni had orchestrated a smear campaign against her.
Swift was soon drawn into the drama when Baldoni retaliated with a $400 million counter-suit against Lively and Reynolds, accusing the Hollywood couple of conspiring to ruin his reputation.
Baldoni, who is also suing The New York Times for defamation, claimed that Lively took control of the film’s production while he tried to dismantle her allegations.
It Ends with Us was a box-office success, grossing $351 million worldwide on a $25 million budget.
