Justin Baldoni, a film director and star of “It Ends With Us”, has withdrawn subpoenas sent to Taylor Swift and her legal team after their lawyers objected that it was an “unwarranted fishing expedition”. The subpoenas, filed in April and May, sought communications between Swift’s team and Blake Lively’s representatives.
Baldoni is suing Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, alleging they attempted to destroy his career with false claims of sexual harassment. Lively countersued Baldoni and others involved in the production, claiming an online whisper campaign against her.
Lively’s spokesperson stated that Baldoni had sought to exploit Swift’s celebrity to distract from the real issues in the case. The withdrawals come after a court filing by Lively’s lawyer showed that negotiations with Swift’s law firm have resulted in information being shared voluntarily, making the subpoenas unnecessary.
In a statement, Swift previously dismissed the subpoena as an attempt at “tabloid clickbait”. She also stated she was not involved in the film and had never seen it until its public release. A judge had earlier granted Lively’s motion to strike Freedman’s allegations from the court record and threatened further sanctions against Baldoni if he missteps.
Baldoni is accused of feeling pressured by Swift and Reynolds, whom Lively calls “dragons”, to make script changes. However, it appears the subpoenas were not related to this claim.
Source: https://variety.com/2025/film/news/taylor-swift-subpoena-withdrawn-baldoni-lively-1236407044