Taylor Swift to be deposed in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni case
Taylor Swift has agreed to be deposed in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s upcoming court case, Baldoni’s lawyers have said.
On September 11th, in a letter addressed to Lewis J Liman, the US judge overseeing the Blake Lively v Wayfarer Studios LLC case, Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman made the claims regarding Swift’s upcoming involvement.
Lively’s case, which accuses her It Ends With Us co-star and director Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation, and also alleges that an online smear campaign was targeted against her, is set to go to federal trial in New York next year. Baldoni denies the allegations.
In court documents, obtained by People, Freedman said Swift “has agreed to appear for deposition” but she is unable to do so until after October 20th due to “Ms Swift’s preexisting professional obligations”. Notably, her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, arrives on October 3rd.
Freedman’s letter to Liman was regarding a motion filed by Lively to modify the court’s case management plan and scheduling orders. He wrote, “Ms Lively misleadingly implies the Wayfarer Parties seek a blanket thirty-day extension of the discovery cut-off date.”
The lawyer continued, “In fact, the Wayfarer Parties requested an agreement solely to take the deposition of Taylor Swift during the week of October 20-25.”
The court case is set to go to trial in March 2026, and depositions, according to court guidelines, should be completed before September 30th. Therefore, an extension would need to be granted in order for Swift to be disposed.
However, according to Variety, Lively’s team have opposed the extension request, claiming that Baldoni’s lawyers didn’t take the necessary steps for the deposition until this week, and questioned why it would be relevant to the case.
Additionally, Lively’s lawyers have requested an extension until October 10th for depositions due to issues over gaining access to documents from the Baldoni camp. This has also been opposed by Baldoni’s legal team.
In June, Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively was dismissed. A judge threw out Baldoni’s claims against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist for extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy that the director and actor had made in January.
Following the dismissal, Lively wrote on Instagram: “I’m more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.”
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