Justin Baldoni’s legal team has withdrawn the document subpoena that was issued to Taylor Swift during the ongoing legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively.
Baldoni’s team had issued a subpoena
Baldoni’s team had requested Taylor Swift’s presence in court as she is one of Blake Lively’s closest friends.
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His team alleged that Swift was present during an important meeting regarding It Ends With Us, one that is relevant to the legal battle.
Lively’s team reacted to the move
Baldoni’s legal team has since withdrawn their subpoena issued to Taylor Swift, with Lively’s team reacting to news of the backtracking.
A spokesperson for the actress said on Thursday, May 22, that they’re “pleased” Baldoni’s team has “withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm.”
Lively’s team showed support to Swift
The spokesperson said, “We supported the efforts of Taylor’s team to quash these inappropriate subpoenas directed to her counsel, and we will continue to stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process.”
Her team further commented on the move
The spokesperson went on, “The Baldoni and Wayfarer team have tried to put Taylor Swift, a woman who has been an inspiration for tens of millions across the globe, at the center of this case since day one.”
They claimed Baldoni’s team was ‘exploiting’ Swift
“Exploiting Taylor Swift’s celebrity was the original plan in Melissa Nathan’s scenario planning document, and it continues to this day. Faced with having to justify themselves in federal court, they folded. At some point they will run out of distractions from the actual claims of sexual harassment and retaliation they are facing,” the rep added.
Baldoni had alleged Swift pressured him
The subpoena came after Baldoni alleged that Swift and Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, were present in a meeting about rewriting part of the script.
He claimed that the two pressured him to agree with Lively’s edits on the script, alleging that Swift “began praising Lively’s script. Baldoni understood the subtext: he needed to comply with Lively’s direction.”
Swift’s team had slammed the subpoena
When the subpoena was issued, Swift’s team responded with strong words regarding Baldoni’s legal team’s actions.
At the time, Swift’s rep said, “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see It Ends With Us until weeks after its public release.”
They explained she had only licensed a song
Swift’s team went on to say that her only involvement in the movie was permitting the use of her song My Tears Ricochet in one of the scenes.
Swift’s rep added, “Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
