Overview

• Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that allegations from Justin Baldoni’s legal team accusing Blake Lively of attempting to extort Taylor Swift were improper and irrelevant, striking them from the court record.
• The legal battle stems from Lively’s December 2024 sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni and his $400 million defamation countersuit filed in January 2025.
• Taylor Swift, subpoenaed by Baldoni’s team for private text messages with Lively, has denied any involvement in the production of the film 'It Ends With Us' beyond licensing her song 'My Tears Ricochet.'
• Reports indicate that Lively’s friendships with Swift and Gigi Hadid have strained, with sources claiming Swift has distanced herself from the ongoing legal drama.
• The trial is scheduled for March 2026, with ongoing discovery and no signs of an out-of-court settlement between Lively and Baldoni.