Blake Lively’s team slams Baldoni’s over Taylor Swift subpoena
Blake Lively’s team has condemned Justin Baldoni’s team’s decision to subpoena Taylor Swift, calling it a blatant attempt to exploit Lively’s friendship for tabloid attention.
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The courtroom at Blake Lively’s trial with “It Ends with Us” costar Justin Baldoni could have the makings of a star-studded affair.
Lively, who is set to go to trial in March over her claims of sexual harassment and workplace misconduct against Baldoni, named a slew of A-listers as potential witnesses in newly unsealed court documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and obtained by USA TODAY on Friday, Nov. 7.
The individuals, which include Lively herself, husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath, and “It Ends with Us” author Colleen Hoover, have been highlighted because they are “likely to have discoverable information” that can aid in the actress’s case. However, their inclusion in the list does not confirm they will be called to testify during the trial.
Lively, who costarred with Baldoni in the 2024 romantic drama, filed a civil rights complaint against Baldoni last December, which alleged that Baldoni and Heath engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct in and out of the workplace and that a “smear campaign” was orchestrated against her in retaliation for speaking up. The complaint was followed by a formal lawsuit.
Baldoni took legal action of his own, including a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for publishing an exposé detailing Lively’s claims (the complaint was dismissed in June). The “Jane the Virgin” alum also countersued Lively and her husband Reynolds for defamation in a $400 million suit, but the case was similarly tossed on Oct. 31.
Which celebrities did Blake Livley name as potential witnesses?
The list of potential witnesses in Lively’s “It Ends with Us” lawsuit is nothing short of a who’s who of Hollywood.
According to court documents, one of the most famous faces featured is pop superstar Taylor Swift. Per Lively’s legal team, Swift – a high-profile pal of the actress – can speak to the alleged “conduct, complaints or discussions about the work environment” on “It Ends with Us,” as well as the “retaliation campaign alleged by Ms. Lively and resulting damages suffered.”
In May, media speculation emerged that Swift had been subpoenaed in the actors’ lawsuit (Baldoni’s attorneys filed a notice of intent to subpoena Venable LLP, a national law firm that has represented Swift in the past, in April). Baldoni’s lawyers later claimed in a letter to Judge Lewis Liman that Lively previously requested for Swift to delete the women’s text messages.
Lively’s former “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” costars Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn were similarly flagged for their purported knowledge of the incidents leading to Lively’s legal action. The trio issued a joint statement supporting Lively shortly after the actress filed her civil rights complaint against Baldoni in December 2024.
Other A-listers named in Lively’s unsealed filing include actress Emily Blunt; actor Hugh Jackman; Haim musicians Alana, Danielle and Este Haim; and supermodel Gigi Hadid.
Lively is putting a hefty price tag on her legal battle with Baldoni.
The “Gossip Girl” alum is seeking approximately $161.2 million in damages from Baldoni and his codefendants in their ongoing lawsuit, according to court documents. This compensation does not include punitive damages, noneconomic damages and attorney’s fees, which have yet to be assigned a fixed amount.
For economic damages, Lively is demanding “lost earnings” in an amount “not less than” $56.2 million, as well as “lost profits” totaling approximately $71 million, per the unsealed Nov. 5 filing.
With regard to her earning power, Lively claims she will lose at least $17.5 million in “lost acting and/or producing opportunities” from the August 2024 release of “It Ends with Us” through the time of her trial with Baldoni. As a businesswoman, the actress estimates her haircare brand, Blake Brown, will suffer a loss of $49 million.
Additionally, Lively is requesting approximately $34 million in reputational harm damages following Baldoni’s alleged “smear campaign” against her, which purportedly includes an estimated 65 million online impressions of “defamatory statements.”
Contributing: Jay Stahl and Pamela Avila, USA TODAY
