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Taylor Swift & Blake Lively Texts Granted to Justin Baldoni in Legal Dispute

A recent event in the high-profile legal case regarding the 2024 film It Ends With Us has put Taylor Swift’s private messages with Blake Lively in play. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman granted Justin Baldoni-an actor, director, and co-star of the film-the ability to obtain text conversations between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift, but only if they are related to the production of the film and the underlying allegations, not all of Lively’s messages. This ruling came after Lively attempted to use a protective order to block the evidence, which the court denied on June 18, 2025

Purpose of the court’s intervention

Blake Lively had sought to stop Baldoni from obtaining her texts with Taylor Swift by claiming they were private and outside the limits of legitimate legal investigation. The court disagreed. The judge pointed out “Lively herself has represented that Swift had knowledge of complaints or discussions about the working environment on set”, and that texts related to harassment or retaliation on set are “reasonably tailored” to the case
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Baldoni’s access is therefore limited in scope and protected from public release.

Background: How Did We Get Here

  • December 2024: Blake Lively filed a claim in California’s Civil Rights Department, and federal court, alleging sexual harassment, hostile work environment, and retaliation for raising complaints against Baldoni and the production team. Among her allegations were inappropriate scenes that were improvised, boundary violations, and public relations stunts to smear her reputation.
  • January 2025: Baldoni filed a defamation and extortion countersuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and others for $400 million. He also filed a defamation suit against The New York Times for $250 million, claiming they published a manipulated story.
  • February–June 2025: Baldoni’s defamation and countersuits were dismissed early in June; however, Lively’s harassment case has a trial scheduled for March 2026 .

Was Taylor Swift’s involvement — voluntary or strategic?

After Baldoni attempted to subpoena Taylor Swift–believing she might provide testimony about working conditions on set–his legal team withdrew the motion when her camp insisted that she had no involvement with production.

Swift’s camp clarified:

Taylor Swift never went to the set… she did not see an edit nor takes notes… traveling the world in 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.”

Even with a withdrawn subpoena, Lively made clear the texts are still relevant — her position is that Swift was “aware” of her workplace issues which warranted the court decision to make limited production access.

Legal and Reputational Repercussions

The ruling incorporates a confidentiality measure – a protective order indicates that the messages cannot be made public. However, Lively’s representatives called Baldoni’s motions a publicity stunt to enlist the help of Taylor Swift’s enormous following (“Swifites”) rather than an actual legal strategy

A representative for Blake Lively claimed:

Baldoni’s attempt to drag Taylor Swift into this has been nonstop… an effort to influence the ‘TS fanbase.’ We will continue to call him out for his persistent efforts to co-op Ms. Swift’s fame… a distraction from, and a failure to respond to, serious allegations of sexual harassment and retaliatory behavior.

Are Blake Lively and Taylor Swift still friends?

According to insiders, their friendship is irreparably damaged. Page Six reports Lively has “dumped” Swift amid this drama, and sources added that she is “is forever furious” that Swift used her name in a PR mistake.

The fallout from the news is being brought to light while the women go forward with their individual professional opportunities—Lively has the ongoing film lawsuit and Swift has her successful Eras Tour and re-recorded entire music catalog.

What’s goign to happen next?

  • Document exchange: Baldoni’s legal team will receive pertinent text messages pursuant to the protective order.
  • The discovery continues: the other forms of admissible evidence including emails, voice notes, and video are still being challenged.
  • Trial dates: Lively’s matter is on a course for a March 2026 trial date. The parties, barring settlement, will be more industrious in their legal argument on the relevance and admissibility of evidence.

Broader implications

This case illustrates the changing nature of celebrity litigation – private communications, even between “friends”, can be central in revealing workplace dynamics and reputational-related disputes. It raises important privacy considerations: how far can discovery go when public figures appear in their public influences, and how do courts balance the wanting for transparency with the need for confidentiality?

The decision by Judge Liman is a watershed moment. The order allows for potentially yielding new evidence while also restricting the level of disclosure and publicity. With the It Ends With Us matter moving closer to a trial, the heightened interest surrounding this case is not just on alleged impropriety, but on the ethics of using celebrity friendship as a legal weapon.

The ruling puts a whole new lens on Swift’s circle from a legal perspective but with some protections. The real drama is all in what happens next: the discovery process, trial, and what the messages will actually reveal.

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