A US federal judge has ruled that actor and director Justin Baldoni is permitted to seek messages exchanged between Blake Lively and Taylor Swift that pertain to the production of the film It Ends With Us.
The decision comes as part of an ongoing legal dispute involving Lively’s claims of harassment and retaliation. In court, Lively had identified Swift as someone who may have relevant knowledge about events that occurred during the film’s development. US District Judge Lewis Liman determined that this connection justifies discovery of relevant communications between the two.
In response to the ruling, the court rejected Lively’s request for a protective order to block the release of the messages. Judge Liman wrote that the messages are “reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively’s harassment and retaliation claims.” However, the ruling limits the scope of the messages to those directly relating to the film or the ongoing lawsuit.
The case stems in part from Lively’s objections to script changes, particularly a rooftop scene. According to Baldoni, he was invited to Lively’s New York home in 2023 to discuss the changes and was surprised to find both Ryan Reynolds and Taylor Swift present. He alleges both encouraged him to accept Lively’s version of the scene.
As discovery progresses, Lively’s team has agreed to hand over all other requested materials, except for the Swift messages. That refusal led to the current dispute and court order.
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