Judge Rejects Justin Baldoni's Bid to Question Taylor Swift Amid Blake Lively Legal Battle
A court official turned down Justin Baldoni’s plea for more time to question Taylor Swift under oath as part of his federal legal action against Blake Lively.
According to documents acquired by Us Weekly on Friday, September 12, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman determined that Baldoni, 41, and his attorneys had failed to “show a valid reason for their desired extension. Their sole explanation for the delay is their claim that Swift’s existing career commitments now prevent her from attending a deposition before October 20, 2025.”
Liman made note of Baldoni’s production entity, Wayfarer Studios, commenting that “the Wayfarer Parties have not offered any detail about when they started trying to arrange the deposition. The information-gathering phase of this case has been underway for about six months.”
The judge proceeded, “The Wayfarer Parties had previously sought Swift’s deposition in May 2025 but later retracted the summons. They have presented no proof of having issued a new subpoena to Swift. Therefore, at best, the Wayfarer Parties have shown that arranging the deposition currently poses scheduling challenges; that does not explain why the deposition ‘could not have been held sooner.’”
Taylor Swift's Attorney Comments on Justin Baldoni's Deposition Request
Concluding his remarks, Liman ruled, “Having not shown adequate effort, the sought-after extension is rejected.”
Us had earlier reported that Baldoni’s legal representatives sent a letter on Thursday, September 11, asserting that Swift “consented” to be questioned under oath the following month. They indicated that the deposition would occur between October 20 and October 25, and asked for an extension of the deadline to depose other parties to give them an opportunity to speak with the 35-year-old music icon.
Lively’s legal team retorted by alleging that Baldoni “consistently tried to involve [Swift] in this lawsuit to support their ongoing public relations tactics.”
They declared, “In this regard, [Baldoni and his team’s] insufficient effort, and disregard for [Swift’s] privacy and calendar, is astonishing.”
Blake Lively's Camp Responds Following Taylor Swift's Alleged Agreement to Baldoni Deposition
On Friday, Swift’s legal counsel disputed Baldoni’s assertion that she had consented to the sworn testimony.
“As the parties' attorneys are aware, from the very beginning of this case, we have steadfastly argued that my client plays no significant part in this litigation,” Swift's legal team conveyed in a letter acquired by Us.
“Furthermore, my client did not agree to a deposition, but if she is compelled to provide one, we indicated (having only learned about the deposition three days prior) that her calendar would allow for the necessary time during the week of October 20, provided the parties could resolve their disagreements,” the document, sent to Liman, further stated. “We have no involvement in those disagreements.”
Swift’s representatives had previously commented on her inclusion in the Lively/Baldoni legal dispute in March, when Baldoni withdrew a summons against her.
A spokesperson for Swift asserted then that she had no part in the movie central to the lawsuit — It Ends With Us, which featured Baldoni and Lively — and possesses no information pertinent to the disagreement.
“Taylor Swift was never present on the set of this movie, she was not engaged in any casting or artistic choices, she did not compose the film's score, she never viewed an edited version or provided any feedback on the film, she didn't even watch It Ends With Us until weeks following its public debut, and was touring worldwide throughout 2023 and 2024 leading the largest tour ever,” the representative further elaborated then.
Lively initiated legal action against Baldoni in December 2024, claiming sexual harassment occurred on the set of the movie he helmed. She also contended that he collaborated with a crisis public relations team to initiate a negative publicity campaign against her, an accusation he has rejected. Baldoni subsequently sued Lively and her spouse, Ryan Reynolds, alleging extortion and defamation against the pair, however, that legal case was thrown out in June.
