Taylor Swift has indicated that her involvement in Blake Lively’s legal issues will only occur if mandated by the court.
The pop icon was previously known to be close friends with the Gossip Girl actress, but recently seems to have distanced herself from Lively amid her legal conflict with Justin Baldoni.
In December, Lively filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star, accusing him of sexual harassment and alleged participation in a ‘smear campaign’ against her, allegations which Baldoni denies.
Baldoni responded with a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, seeking $400 million in damages, though this was thrown out by a judge in June.
As the dramatic legal battle in Hollywood continues, attention has turned to Swift and whether her friendship with Lively might be explored in court.
Reports have surfaced indicating that Swift agreed to a deposition, per court documents from Baldoni’s legal team, where she may be questioned about discussions with Lively, possibly as soon as next month.
However, Swift’s legal representative has dismissed the speculation surrounding her involvement, emphasizing that she plays ‘no material role’ in the proceedings.
Her attorney also disputed Baldoni’s assertion that Swift had consented to a deposition, clarifying that she would participate only if U.S. District Judge Lewis Linman were to extend the deadline for her testimony.
J Douglas Baldridge further stated that Swift would comply ‘if she is forced into a deposition’ by the court, but her availability is restricted to the week of October 20 due to prior commitments.
Baldoni’s lawyer had requested earlier this week to schedule the deposition in late October, citing Swift’s ‘preexisting professional obligations.’
Ellyn S. Garofalo stated: “Wayfarer Parties requested an agreement solely to take the deposition of Taylor Swift during the week of October 20-25 due to Ms. Swift’s preexisting professional obligations.”
The attorney additionally asked the court to adjust its scheduling order ‘for the sole purpose of accommodating third-party witness Taylor Swift.’
Meanwhile, Lively’s attorney is urging the judge to reject the deadline extension and claims Baldoni is dragging Swift into the lawsuit ‘to generate a media spectacle.’
Lively’s attorney Michael J Gottlieb accused Baldoni’s team of using Swift to bolster their media strategy, stating, “In this latest effort, the Wayfarer Defendants assert—though, notably, without evidence—that Ms. Swift has supposedly ‘agreed’ to sit for a deposition sometime between October 20-25 (some three weeks after the close of fact discovery in this matter),” Gottlieb wrote to Judge Linman.
The lawyer further criticized Baldoni’s team for not showing ‘good cause’ for the extension and pointed out they had not informed Swift’s team about the deposition details until recently, accusing them of a notable lack of diligence and disrespect toward Swift’s privacy.
This development is the latest in the ongoing legal clash between the two parties that has been ongoing in New York federal court for nearly a year.
Requests for comments from the representatives of Lively, Swift, and Baldoni had been made earlier.