Justin Baldoni has now formally withdrawn the subpoena that he served on Taylor Swift earlier this month. This decision is just the latest development in an ongoing legal drama surrounding his film It Ends With Us. Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, soon filed a legal action to compel testimony from Swift. Even though her involvement with the film is only through licensing the song “My Tears Ricochet,” Freedman still hopes to get her thoughts.
Taylor Swift, a celebrity fixtures and longtime friend of actress Blake Lively, had found herself on the other side of this legal battlefield. What began as a localized conflict had quickly and unexpectedly developed into an international crisis. Freedman argued that anyone with important information could be deposed in relation to the case. Swift’s involvement with “It Ends With Us” was strictly related to the permission granted for her song’s use, a detail underscored by her spokesperson.
“The connection Taylor had to this film was permitting the use of one song, ‘My Tears Ricochet.’” – Taylor Swift‘s spokesperson
In response to the subpoena, Swift’s spokesperson explained that she had never engaged in any production-related activities for the film. Notably, they stated that she “never set foot on the set of this movie,” and did not engage in any casting or creative decisions. A spokesperson for Swift’s team pointed to the fact that 2023 and 2024 were completely consumed by an international, multiyear tour. This pressuring timetable prevented her from seeing “It Ends With Us” until weeks after its premiere.
“Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film, she did not even see ‘It Ends With Us’ until weeks after its public release, and was traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history.” – Taylor Swift’s spokesperson
Lively’s legal team has accused… These allegations specifically address Baldoni’s allegations surrounding her involvement with the film’s production. They were instead shocked by Baldoni’s lawsuit, which they denounced as “yet another chapter in the abuser playbook.” In response, they claim that he’s attempting to pass the creative blame buck to Lively for accused project-wide creative control.
Meanwhile, Freedman criticized what he described as a “desperate attempt” to repair Baldoni’s negative reputation stemming from remarks made during the film’s campaign. His position is that every person who has relevant knowledge about the case should be required to be deposed.
“Anyone that reasonably has information that can provide evidence in this case is gonna be deposed.” – Bryan Freedman
And if you think public Taylor Swift has been on a roll lately, just hold on to your hats. She went to the MTV Video Music Awards on September 11th, 2024. She was on stage during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 4, 2024, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. These high-profile appearances served to keep her in the public’s eye while this domestic legal showdown played out.
Swift’s spokesperson further voiced concerns about what is inspiring the subpoena. In fact, they claimed that it was clearly intended to drum up public excitement rather than addressing serious legal concerns.
“Given that her involvement was licensing a song for the film, which 19 other artists also did, this document subpoena is designed to use Taylor Swift’s name to draw public interest by creating tabloid clickbait instead of focusing on the facts of the case.” – Taylor Swift’s spokesperson
