Justin Baldoni claimed Blake Lively extorted Taylor Swift. A judge has just thrown out his letter.

In the legal drama between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, things are getting ugly… or well, uglier.

The trial's judge, Lewis J. Lima, has quickly rejected an attempt by Baldoni's attorney to use the litigation process to accuse Lively of attempting to extort Taylor Swift, ruling that the filing was 'improper' and served no legitimate purpose.

In case you missed it, last week Baldoni's lawyers filed a subpoena to call Swift as a witness in the trial, over claims she was present at a dinner where the film was discussed. Swift's representatives issued a strong response claiming she was "not involved" with the film.

A few days later, Baldoni's team filed a letter that accused Lively of attempting to extort her long-time friend.

The letter alleged that Lively had pressured Swift to delete text messages and threatened to release private communications unless the pop star publicly supported her claims against Baldoni.

Judge Liman struck the 'potentially libellous' claims from the court docket just one day after they were made by Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman.

The judge wrote that Freedman's letter "is improper and must be stricken," adding that, "The sole purpose of the letter is to promote public scandal by advancing inflammatory accusations, on information and belief, against Lively and her counsel."

The judge didn't hold back in his criticism of such a filing.

"It transparently invites a press uproar by suggesting that Lively and her counsel attempted to 'extort' a well-known celebrity. Retaining the letter on the docket would be of no use to the court."

The court stressed that it has the authority to strike filings in the case that are "abusive" and "improper."

The judge finished by issuing a warning to Baldoni's attorney: "Counsel is advised that future misuse of the court's docket may be met with sanctions."

Taylor Swift and Blake Lively's friendship has been placed under a microscope as part of the ongoing legal drama. Image: Instagram.

Lively's team had already referred to the claims as "categorically false" and "completely untethered from reality" before the judge's decision.

Following the ruling, a spokesperson for Lively stated, "It took the court less than 24 hours to see through Mr. Freedman's irrelevant, improper and inflammatory accusations, strike them, remove them from the court and warn Mr. Freedman that further misconduct may be met with sanctions."

Given how quickly this letter was rejected by the judge, it does make you wonder what the point of such an outlandish filing was… other than to lure in tabloid attention.

After all, the public might not have seen the most recent headlines about the judge condemning the filing, but you would have had to be living under a rock this week to avoid the stories that said 'BLAKE LIVELY TRIED TO EXTORT TAYLOR SWIFT', as if this was a fact and not a claim.

The gossip sites and tabloids bought it hook, line and sinker. I'd hazard a guess that the updated stories that the judge rejected this claim won't get quite as many clicks.

In the court of public opinion, the damage has been done.

Watch: Blake Lively attends New York Premiere of 'It Ends With Us'. Post continues below.

Is it possible that Baldoni's lawyers knew exactly how the media would react, and seized on that opportunity as part of their strategy to continue the narrative that Lively is the villain?

And doesn't this all sound familiar?

In Lively's original lawsuit, she alleged that after she reported alleged misconduct on the set of It Ends With Us, Baldoni and his team retaliated by orchestrating a media and PR campaign to "paint her as the villain."

Using Swift's name to draw increased public scrutiny — and draw question marks around her relationship with Lively — plays perfectly into this strategy as the legal battle rages on.

Swift might be one of the biggest names being dragged into the case, but she isn't the only high-profile celebrity who may be called to give evidence.

Here's everyone who may have to testify.

Celebrities who will or may be called to testify.

Blake Lively: The plaintiff.

Blake Lively's lawyer, Mike Gottlieb, confirmed to People that the actress will testify in court.

"The ultimate moment for a plaintiff's story to be told is at trial. We expect that to be the case here," he said.

"So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course, she's going to testify."

Justin Baldoni: The defendant

As the defendant, Baldoni will also testify, as confirmed by his lawyer, Bryan Freedman.

The trial will not have cameras inside, but Freedman suggested it should be open to the public.

"Since Ms. Lively is open to testifying, let's make it count," Freedman told People. "Hold the deposition at MSG, sell tickets or stream it, and donate every dollar to organisations helping victims of domestic abuse."

Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni in It Ends With Us. Image: Sony.

Ryan Reynolds

Named as a defendant in Baldoni's countersuit, Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds may be called to testify.

However, his legal team is actively trying to have him dismissed from the case before the trial.

Lively's attorney, Gottlieb, noted that if Reynolds is removed as a defendant, he "may or may not serve as a fact witness" in court, as per People.

Taylor Swift

As mentioned, Swift has been subpoenaed as a witness, though her involvement in the film was limited to licensing a song.

Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, issued the subpoena on May 9, as per Deadline.

The response from Swift's team was immediate.

In a statement obtained by Deadline and People, a representative for Swift said the subpoena was purely to "draw public interest" rather than "focusing on the facts of the case".

"Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie," said the rep. "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 travelling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history."

The rep went on to claim that Swift's only involvement in the film was "licensing a song"— My Tears Ricochet — "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," the statement finished.

The subpoena timing is particularly convenient, given it follows months of reports that Swift and Lively's friendship is at a breaking point — despite there being no evidence to support the wild tabloid speculation.

Hugh Jackman

Baldoni's legal team has indicated the Australian actor may be called. He is not party to the lawsuit, nor is he directly implicated in the allegations, but he is being drawn into the legal proceedings due to his close friendship with Ryan Reynolds.

As the actors starred together in Deadpool & Wolverine, he spent significant time with Reynolds during the period in question, making him a potential witness regarding the dynamics between the parties.

An insider told People that Swift and Jackman are "not privy to anything going on," adding that the claims they will be subpoenaed are nothing more than "smoke and mirrors and trying to distract from the allegations against Baldoni".

Leslie Sloane

Leslie Sloane, Blake Lively's longtime publicist, is also a defendant in the case.

Sloane has filed a motion to be dismissed to avoid participation in the trial, but Baldoni's legal team has opposed her removal, arguing that she played a significant role in the events at issue and that her testimony will be important, as per Deadline.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger

In January, Baldoni's lawyers sent Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige and Disney CEO Bob Iger a litigation letter demanding they keep any documents that may mention Baldoni.

According to the letter, Baldoni's legal team wants "any and all documents relating to the development of the Nicepool character" in the Deadpool & Wolverine movie starring Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds, and "communications relating to the development, writing and filming of storylines and scenes featuring Nicepool."⁠

This is part of his team's strategy, to claim that 'Nicepool' was a character created with the intent to mock Baldoni.

Other cast and crew

Lively's lawyer has stated there are additional individuals who "were witnesses to or experienced misconduct that is relevant to Ms. Lively's claims".

"We expect their testimony, particularly about what took place on set, will come out through live witness testimony," he told People.

A separate source also told the publication that "anyone that had any knowledge of this situation will be subpoenaed, no matter of their celebrity status".

When is the trial?

The trial is scheduled to begin in March 2026 in Judge Lewis J. Liman's courtroom in New York City.

What are the accusations?

In a lawsuit filed December 31, 2024 Lively accused Baldoni, who both directed and co-starred in It Ends With Us, of repeated sexual harassment on set.

The allegations included unwanted physical advances, inappropriate comments, and what Lively describes as a toxic atmosphere where speaking up led to retaliation.

According to her complaint, when she or others tried to push back against Baldoni's behaviour, he and his producing partner, Jamey Heath, allegedly became hostile and obstructive, creating what she called a "deliberately hostile work environment".

Lively claimed that after she raised concerns and reported the incidents, Baldoni and his team, including his production company Wayfarer Studios and their PR firm, retaliated with a coordinated smear campaign.

The suit alleged that damaging stories were deliberately leaked to the press, and that online backlash was weaponised to tarnish her reputation and derail her career.

Lively's legal team accused Baldoni and his associates of negligence, emotional abuse, invasion of privacy, and deliberately sabotaging her professional opportunities.

Less than three weeks later, Baldoni hit back with a lawsuit of his own.

Baldoni filed his own countersuit against Lively (and more). Image: Getty.

Filed on January 16, 2025, his countersuit named not only Lively, but also her husband Ryan Reynolds and her longtime publicist Leslie Sloane.

In his version of events, Baldoni claimed Lively and Reynolds tried to seize creative control of the film by using their star power to pressure and intimidate the production team.

He alleges that when they didn't get their way, they launched a calculated campaign to discredit him, fabricating misconduct allegations, leaking manipulated information to the press, and leveraging media connections to control the narrative.

Baldoni is seeking a staggering $400 million (roughly A$622 million) in damages, citing reputational ruin, emotional toll, and a cascade of broken industry relationships.

Both sides are armed with a trove of evidence, emails, texts, audio recordings.

For a full timeline of the allegations, click here.

Feature Image: Getty.