Blake Lively’s legal war with Justin Baldoni just took another dramatic turn, and it now involves pop superstar and former friend Taylor Swift. According to newly filed court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Lively is requesting a protective order to block Baldoni’s legal team from continuing their pursuit of private communications between the Gossip Girl actress and Swift. The request, filed Friday by Lively’s attorney Esra Hudson, claims the effort to obtain these records is nothing more than a media play.
Hudson argues that Baldoni, whose $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, her publicist, and The New York Times was previously dismissed, is using Swift and her loyal fan base to sway public perception in the ongoing legal drama.
“Baldoni’s team refused to produce to Ms. Lively the documents they publicly claimed to have received as part of a deal to withdraw their subpoenas to Ms. Swift and her counsel,” Hudson noted in the filing, calling it a “tactic” to keep Swift at the center of their media strategy.
Adding more fuel to the fire, Lively earlier this week served a subpoena to none other than Scooter Braun, Swift’s longtime nemesis. Braun and his K-pop conglomerate HYBE were both subpoenaed as part of Lively’s legal pursuit, with her team seeking documents tied to crisis PR manager Melissa Nathan, who was named in Lively’s bombshell lawsuit against Baldoni. The subpoenas reportedly aim to uncover any work Nathan may have done on Baldoni’s behalf.
The move is especially noteworthy given Braun’s history with Swift. He infamously acquired the rights to her early master recordings in a deal that Swift publicly condemned, claiming her former label had denied her the opportunity to purchase the masters herself.
Blake Lively Faces Backlash for Involving Taylor Swift and Scooter Braun
The mention of Swift, and now Braun, has sparked a wave of backlash online, with fans and critics blasting Lively for dragging others into the fray. “Simply does not know when to stop,” one user wrote. “Blake’s entitlement and actions speak for themselves. And it is not in a positive way.” “Blake is out of moves. She ruined her career and future with her vile accusations,” another added. Others were even more direct, calling her “nasty” and “irritating,” with one frustrated fan asking, “She just won’t stop.”
The backlash marks a growing sentiment among observers that the actress, once hailed for her squeaky-clean image and A-list friendships, may be facing irreparable damage to both her reputation and career.
As for Taylor Swift, she has remained silent on the matter, at least for now. But with Lively’s legal team continuing to invoke her name, and now targeting figures from her past, the question remains: How long will the pop star stay quiet?
