Justin Baldoni accuses Blake Lively’s lawyers to threaten Taylor Swift with revealing private messages
The lawyers of Justin Baldonidirector of the film adaptation of It ends with usthey accused the legal defense of Blake Lively to try to extort Taylor Swiftin an attempt to obtain a public statement of support towards the actress. In a letter presented to the court, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedmanhe maintains that a member of the Lively legal team threatened Disseminate private text messages between the singer and the actress If the latter did not agree to support it publicly.
The alleged threat would have been formulated by Michael GottliebLively’s lawyer, who would have contacted a representative of the legal study VENABLEwhich represents Swift, to demand said statement. According to the legal letter, Gottlieb suggested that if Swift did not accept to issue a message of support to Lively, texts of personal “that the artist had exchanged with her friend would be disseminated. Baldoni’s team argues that the intention behind the requirement was to press the singer and use it as an indirect witness in the case.
According to the legal document, at least one Swift representative responded in writing to Lively’s lawyers, noting that threats were improper and “apparently extortion.” Freedman requested that these exchanges formally incorporate into the file, because They would reinforce the accusations of intimidation and coercion of witnesses that, according to him, characterize the judicial strategy of the Lively team.
For his part, the actress’s lawyer, Michael Gottlieb, rejected all the accusations expressed by Baldoni’s team. In a statement released on Wednesday, he described the “flatly false” accusations and attributed them to a distraction strategy of the lawyers of Wayfarer Studiosthe producer linked to Baldoni.
“We categorically denied all these supposed accusations, which are cowardly attributed to anonymous and completely disconnected sources from reality”, Gottlieb said. “This is what we have expected from the Wayfarer legal team, which seems to enjoy shooting first, without proof and without worrying about the people they are harming in the process,” he added. He also said that they will present motions to the Court to sanction Baldoni’s lawyers, so he considers improper professional behavior.
The legal conflict between the parties revolves around the creative control of the film It ends with usbased on the homonymous book of Colleen Hoover. Lively, protagonist of the project, and Baldoni, who in addition to directing produces the film, disagree with the changes in the script and the artistic direction.
Taylor Swift was formally cited by Baldoni’s legal team days before Freedman’s letter was presented. According to the judicial file, his participation would be related to a meeting held in 2023 in the department of Lively in New York. In that meeting, Swift and the actor Ryan ReynoldsLively husband, they would have been present while the actress argued with Baldoni modifications to a roof scene that would open the film.
The legal story argues that Baldoni was “ambushed” by both, who praised Lively’s version about that scene, exerting pressure for the director to accept the changes. The demand also refers to text messages where Swift is alluded to, which motivated the issuance of legal citation.
In one of the texts cited in the file, Lively refers to Reynolds and Swift as their “Dragons”in a metaphor taken from the series game of Thrones. “If you ever see Game of Thrones, you will understand that I am Khaleesi, and like her, I have a couple of dragons. For better or worse, but usually for good. Because my dragons also protect those who defend,” the actress wrote in the message.
The comeable legal study, which legally represents Taylor Swift, presented a formal challenge to the judicial citation, arguing that Neither the singer nor her lawyers have relevant information for the case. “This is nothing more than an attempt to divert attention from the central facts of litigation,” they alleged in their presentation. Both Lively and Reynolds supported the motion to invalidate the citation issued to Swift.
At the moment, Taylor Swift He has not issued public statements or responded directly to requests for comments sent by the media. The Hollywood Reportermedium that agreed to the judicial file, also did not get a response from the artist’s legal team before the closing of her report.
Meanwhile, Freedman said in the judicial presentation that he hopes to resolve the conflict with the comeable firm in the next few days, “since both parties are negotiating in good faith.” Meanwhile, the case continues to climb both in the judicial and the media field, involving three of the most popular figures in the entertainment industry in a legal battle with multiple fronts and cross accusations.
