Kaylah Walton
What began as a contentious legal battle involving actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni now seems poised to pull global superstar Taylor Swift—and indirectly, NFL player Travis Kelce—into its complex web. Despite Swift‘s attempts to remain uninvolved, her close ties to Lively and recent allegations related to the lawsuit have made such avoidance increasingly difficult.
The situation intensified with a new court document alleging that Lively pressured Swift to publicly support her claims against Baldoni , reportedly threatening to disclose “private messages of a personal nature.” This allegation hints at private information and has drawn Kelce into the fray due to his very public relationship with Swift.
An attorney representing Blake Lively, Mike Gottlieb, vehemently refuted the allegations, labeling them as “entirely false.”
The overarching legal matter involves Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni for alleged sexual misconduct during the shooting of the upcoming film, It Ends With Us. While Swift has attempted to keep her distance from the turmoil, the latest turn of events indicates her name could potentially arise in court, possibly via a subpoena.
Potential subpoena for Swift
Baldoni‘s legal representatives, as reported by PEOPLE, have suggested the possibility of subpoenaing Swift and other high-profile figures regarding the case, a move that Lively’s attorney deems more about seeking attention than assembling pertinent evidence.
“There’s no clear justification for what claims or defenses these celebrities have that relate to this case,” Gottlieb told PEOPLE. “This lawsuit centers on the events surrounding Blake Lively’s claims of harassment during filming. It doesn’t pertain to music choices for the movie or fictional characters in the Deadpool series.
“It raises the question: why are these individuals even being subpoenaed? Are they really relevant to this lawsuit? You can’t indiscriminately subpoena famous people just for the sake of publicity. The federal court systems do not accept that kind of conduct.”
If Swift is indeed subpoenaed, it would signify a pivotal moment in the ongoing lawsuit. At this point, it remains uncertain if she will be mandated to testify, but insiders suggest her participation could very well be unavoidable.
