Originally appeared on E! Online.
Justin Baldoni just scored a minor victory in his ongoing legal battle with “It Ends With Us” costar Blake Lively.
A New York judge has ruled that messages between the actress and pal Taylor Swift are “relevant” to the case, allowing Baldoni’s legal team to have access to them during the discovery process.
However, a protective order has also been put in place over any correspondence between Lively and Swift to prevent leaks to the press.
“Lively herself has identified Swift as someone likely to have knowledge about complaints or discussions regarding the working environment on the set of ‘It Ends With Us,'” Judge Lewis L. Liman wrote in an order filed June 18 and obtained by E! News.
“Given that Lively has represented that Swift had knowledge of complaints or discussions about the working environment on the film, among other issues,” he continued, “the requests for messages with Swift regarding the film and this action are reasonably tailored to discover information that would prove or disprove Lively’s harassment and retaliation claims.”
READ: Blake Lively Slams Claim She’s “Refusing” to Release Medical Records in Justin Baldoni Lawsuit
Baldoni and his legal team previously attempted to subpoena Swift, who the “Jane the Virgin” alum alleged was used by Lively to leverage more creative control over “It Ends With Us,” in relation to the case. After a spokesperson for Swift argued that the singer was “not involved in any casting or creative decisions,” Baldoni’s attorneys withdrew their order.
Lively is suing Baldoni for sexual harassment, accusing the director of creating a hostile work environment on the set of their 2024 movie. While Baldoni has denied the allegations, his countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds was dismissed in early June by Liman, who said the filmmaker failed to prove the couple had defamed him.
Taylor Swift’s rep is speaking out after Justin Baldoni’s lawyers reportedly subpoenaed the music superstar in his and Blake Lively’s ongoing legal saga.
“Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us,” Lively shared on her Instagram Stories June 9 shortly after the dismissal. “While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back.”
She continued, “With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me. Many of you I know. Many of you I don’t. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you.”
Meanwhile, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in a statement to E! News that Lively’s “predictable declaration of victory is false.”
“This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign,” he added, “which Ms. Lively’s own team conveniently describes as ‘untraceable’ because they cannot prove what never happened.”
E! News has reached out to Baldoni, Swift and Lively for comment on the latest ruling but hasn’t heard back.
Justin Baldoni’s legal battle with Blake Lively just took a new turn.
