Is Taylor Swift in Justin Baldoni-Blake lively lawsuit? What the legal doctors say

Taylor Swift may be involved in the legal drama between It ends with us co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, according to Baldoni’s libel suit against G.Ossip Girl actress.

Newsweek has reached out to representatives for Swift, Lively and Baldoni via email for comment.

Why it matters

Lively, 37, and Baldoni, 40, are in a legal battle over behavior during the production of It ends with us as well as accusations of trying to damage each other’s reputations upon their release.

Baldoni, who also directed the film, filed a $400 million lawsuit Thursday against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and others in New York. The suit alleges civil racketeering, defamation, false light invasion of privacy and more.

Baldoni’s filing comes less than a month after Lively sued him, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and a retaliatory campaign.

Lively and Swift’s friendship

Lively and Swift’s friendship dates back to at least 2015, when Lively referenced Swift’s “Bad Blood” music video in a playful caption for a L’Oréal campaign photo.

Lively directed the music video for Swift’s song “I Bet You Think About Me”. In addition, Swift gave a subtle nod to Lively’s daughters in her song “Betty” on her Folklore album.

What to know

Baldoni’s lawsuit includes an alleged spat between him and Lively about the writing of the film’s rooftop scene. Baldoni gave Lively the chance to rewrite the scene and thanked her for her passion in doing so, but said the scene would likely end up somewhere between the original and Lively’s version.

Alleged text messages between Baldoni and Lively included in the suit refer to a meeting in Lively’s penthouse where Reynolds and a “megastar friend” of the couple raved about Lively’s version of the scene.

“Hours later, when the meeting ended, a famous and famous close friend of Reynolds and Lively walked into the room and began to similarly praise Lively’s script. Baldoni understood the subtext: he had to follow Lively’s direction for the script,” reads the lawsuit.

After the meeting, Baldoni’s lawyers said, he felt obligated to write to Lively that he liked her version of the scene and didn’t need Reynolds and the megastar friend to pressure him. While Baldoni refers to “Taylor”, he does not include a surname:

“Awesome! Also worked on the rooftop scene today, I really love what you did. It’s really cheering. Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor) (WINK) You is truly a talent across the board. Really excited and (sic) grateful to be doing this together.”

Lively responded, saying she “appreciated” Baldoni’s words and also referred to Reynolds and the megastar as her “dragons.”

“They (Reynolds and the megastar friend) also know that I’m not always good at making sure I’m seen and used for fear of threatening egos or fear of affecting the ease of the process. They don’t give so-t And because of it everyone listens to them with enormous respect and enthusiasm added).

Baldoni’s lawyers wrote in the suit: “The message could not have been clearer. Baldoni was not only dealing with Lively. He was also facing Lively’s ‘dragons’, two of the most influential and wealthy celebrities in the world who were not afraid to makes things very difficult for him.”

What people are saying:

Bryan Freedman, attorney for Baldoni, to Newsweek:”This lawsuit is a lawsuit based on an overwhelming amount of unmanipulated evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team’s two-fold attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by providing grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and manipulated information to the media.”

“… Let’s not forget that Ms. Lively and her team tried to bulldoze reputations and livelihoods for despicably selfish reasons through their own dangerous manipulation of the media before they even took any real legal action. We know the truth and now the public does that too Justin and his team have nothing to hide, documents don’t lie.”

Lively to Newsweek on her lawsuit against Baldoni: “I hope my legal action will help pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak out about misconduct and help protect others who may be targeted.”

What’s next

Baldoni is seeking $400 million and is demanding a jury trial in his defamation suit against Lively, Reynolds and others.

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