Taylor Swift’s name has been brought back to the high-profile legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Bardoni.
In a court application, Bardoni’s lawyer says the singer has “consented” to deposit, but her team says it is not.
Swift’s lawyer J. Douglas Baldridge wrote a letter to the judge, clarifying that Swift “didn’t agree.”
“Since the beginning of this issue, we have consistently argued that our clients have no important role in this behavior,” writes Baldridge. “In addition, my client did not agree to the deposit, but if she was forced to deposit, we advised (after we first heard about the deposition just three days ago) to respond to the required time in the week of October 20th if the parties were able to resolve the dispute.
“Ricochet of my tears”
The move marks a new chapter in the famous controversy tied to the 2024 film “It Ending Us.”
If the judge approves the request, Swift is expected to face questions about lively conversations regarding working conditions on the film set. According to the submission, the singer-songwriter agrees to appear, but cannot do so by October 20th due to “existing professional obligations.”
Lively’s lawyers were pushed back strongly against Baldoni’s latest bid. In a reply filed on September 12, they said the Wayfarer defendant (Bardoni and his producer partner) was using the Swift name as part of their media strategy.
“The Wayfarer defendants have repeatedly sought to engage Ms. Swift in this lawsuit in order to promote a relentless media strategy,” the Lively team wrote. “In this latest effort, the Wayfarer defendant claims that he has “agreed” to sit for deposit between October 20th and 25th, particularly without evidence. ”
The discoveries in this case are scheduled for March 9, 2026 in federal court in New York, so we are nearing the end. On September 11, Lively’s lawyers urged the court to advance the deadline for deposits between September 30th and October 10th, denounced Bardoni’s delay in document production.
Swift’s 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, will be appearing on October 3rd.
Swift’s Song License
Swift’s involvement, which licensed her song “My Tears Ricochet” for the film, was a flash point for months. In May, Bardoni’s lawyer served as a subpoena at both the pop star and her law firm, Venable LLP, before retracting within two weeks. At the time, a lively spokesman condemned the “harassment subpoena.”
“We will support Taylor’s team efforts to beat her attorneys with these inappropriate subpoena and continue to confront third parties who are unfairly harassed or threatened in the process,” the spokesman said.
A Swift spokesman also criticized previous attempts to attract her into the conflict. “Given that her involvement had licensed the film’s songs, this documentary summon, which was also made by 19 other artists, is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbaits instead of focusing on the facts of the case,” the singer’s rep said.
Administrative Judge Louis Liman sided with Bardoni’s team in June for narrower texting questions. Lively had sought a protection order to protect communication with Swift, but Lively had previously identified Swift as someone with conversational knowledge about the filming environment, so the material could be relevant.
“Given that Lively represents knowledge of complaints and debates about the film’s work environment, among other issues, Swift’s message requests regarding the film are reasonably adjusted to discover information that certifies or disproves Lively’s claims of harassment and retaliation,” Liman wrote on June 18th.
In this case, we saw some dramatic turns. Earlier this summer, Liman rejected Bardoni’s widely publicized $400 million countersuit, her husband Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times, but allowed her attorneys to refill the narrower claims.
With the trial approaching, the focus shifted to Swift, discovering that despite her limited role in the film, she could quickly answer questions.
Updated to include a statement from Swift’s attorneys.
Don’t miss out on Taylor Swift’s news. Sign up for this quick beat for our free weekly newsletter.
Instagram, Tiktok, and x As @bryanwesttv.
