Meet the Man Supporting Taylor Swift Amidst Blake Lively Fallout!
As Taylor Swift faces the prospect of having her deeply personal texts with Blake Lively exposed in court – one very protective figure…
Embattled Blake Lively’s legal woes have taken a turn for the worse: She has now been subpoenaed by Justin Baldoni’s team.
DailyMail.com has learned the papers were handed to her lawyers last week and asks for all communications – including texts and emails – related to Baldoni and the film that sparked the feud, It Ends With Us.
Lively, 37, has accused Baldoni, 41, of sexually harassing her during filming and claims he waged a negative publicity campaign against her.
He subsequently hit back and sued the actress and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, for $400million, saying her allegations were defamatory and false, and accusing her of attempting to hijack the project.
The legal battle has already seen some zingers aired in court, among them Baldoni’s claim that she tried to threaten him with Reynolds and erstwhile best friend Taylor Swift – referring to the superstars as ‘my dragons’ and comparing herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi.
Lively has also been accused of failing to read the novel on which the movie is based until well after filming started and forcing Baldoni and his family to sit in the basement during the premiere.
Blake Lively, 37, was subpoenaed by Justin Baldoni’s,41, team last week, asking for all communications – including texts and emails – related to him and the film It Ends With Us
Lively first sued on December 20, accusing Baldoni of sexually harassing her and fostering a toxic work environment on the set of their film It Ends With Us
Baldoni then sued the actress and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, 48, for $400million, saying her allegations were defamatory and false, and accusing her of attempting to hijack the project
On top of that, some of her allegations have begun to look dubious such as the claim that Baldoni had nuzzled her neck and told her ‘you smell so good’ during a dancing scene.
Although the mom-of-four claimed it had been filmed with microphones off, DailyMail.com obtained raw footage that showed the sound was on and that the conversation had instead been about the scent of Lively’s fake tan.
Attention has now turned to who else could be subpoenaed in the case, with Reynolds odds-on to have his communications scrutinized by Baldoni’s team.
Last week, speculation arose around Swift and Reynolds’ friend Hugh Jackman with reports saying that they too are facing a legal grilling.
Superstar singer Swift is reportedly furious over being dragged into the case and has not been photographed with Lively for months.
Last week, her boyfriend Travis Kelce unfollowed Reynolds – who is currently celebrating his soccer team Wrexham’s promotion to the English Football League Championship – in yet another sign that relations between the two couples have cooled.
Baldoni claimed that Lively referred to herself as Khalessi and Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift as her ‘dragons’. In the latest twist, Swift’s boyfriend Travis Kelci unfollowed Reynolds on Instagram
Jackman (left) and Swift were dragged into the increasingly toxic dispute earlier this year when the lawsuit was filed. Now, reports say that Jackman could also face a legal grilling
DailyMail.com revealed the subpoena had arisen from a ‘sham’ lawsuit filed by her company Vanzan against anonymous Does 1-10 which was dropped before the 37-year-old’s sex assault case was filed
The copy of the case summons shows it was dated September 27, 2024, seven weeks after the It Ends With Us premiere
Although Kelce is unlikely to be slapped with a subpoena, one person who has already got one is publicist Stephanie Jones who is also being sued by Baldoni after she allegedly turned over a phone belonging to his publicist and her former employee, Jennifer Abel.
The messages on the phone between Abel and crisis PR Melissa Nathan were later used as the basis for Lively’s claims of a smear campaign, although Baldoni’s team hit back saying the texts were selectively edited and released the conversations in full.
Jones denied handing over the texts as a favor, arguing in court papers that she turned the device over only after receiving a subpoena last October.
But her claims led to fresh embarrassment for Lively after DailyMail.com revealed the subpoena had arisen from a ‘sham’ lawsuit filed by her company Vanzan against anonymous Does 1-10 which was dropped before the 37-year-old’s sex assault case was filed.
The revelation prompted a furious response from Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman who described the Vanzan suit as a ‘sham’.
‘Ms. Lively’s and Mr. Reynolds’ company Vanzan had nothing to do with this case and they knew it,’ Freedman said in a statement.
‘This sham lawsuit was designed to obtain subpoena power without oversight or scrutiny, and in doing so denied my clients the ability to contest the propriety, nature, and scope of the subpoena.
‘There is nothing normal about this. Officers of the court have a duty of candor to the court and an obligation not to file fictitious lawsuits that have no basis in fact or law.
‘This was done in bad faith and constitutes a flagrant abuse of process.’
