Taylor Swift has not agreed to give a deposition in the litigation between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni and will participate only if legally compelled, the singer’s lawyer told the court this week.
In a letter filed Friday and obtained by media outlets, Venable LLP attorney Doug Baldridge wrote that Swift "did not agree to a deposition, but if she is forced into a deposition, we advised (after first hearing about the deposition just three days ago) that her schedule would accommodate the time required during the week of October 20". The letter also stated that Swift has "no material role" in the lawsuit.
The exchange follows filings from Baldoni’s attorneys who said Swift had agreed to be deposed and had provided availability late in October. Lively’s legal team is contesting requests by Baldoni’s side to extend the discovery deadline to allow for additional depositions and has urged the court to reject what it described as a media-driven attempt to draw Swift back into the case.
Lively’s lawyers argued in court papers that Baldoni’s team has repeatedly tried to involve Swift to "fuel their relentless media strategy" and said the effort lacked "good cause." They noted a previous May subpoena for Swift that generated substantial coverage before being withdrawn.
The litigation stems from a lawsuit Lively filed in December 2024 alleging sexual harassment and retaliation by Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios team. Baldoni has denied the allegations. He later filed a countersuit that sought about $400 million and named Swift; that countersuit has since been dismissed. Baldoni’s filings alleged an encounter at Lively’s New York City penthouse during the production of It Ends With Us, and included screenshots of text messages in which Lively appeared to call Ryan Reynolds and Swift her "dragons" who "protect" her.
Swift is a nonparty to Lively’s lawsuit. In opposing Baldoni’s request to extend discovery, Lively’s lawyers told the court that Swift’s schedule is "presumed to be packed with professional obligations for months in advance" and said Baldoni had not submitted a new subpoena or explained why Swift should be reintroduced into the proceedings.
The parties are operating against a court-ordered discovery calendar. All depositions had been scheduled to be completed by Sept. 30, and the case, Blake Lively v. Wayfarer Studios LLC et al., is set for trial in March 2026.
Attorneys for Baldoni have asserted that additional testimony is necessary. In their filings, they said they had been informed Swift would provide dates for a deposition and that she had identified availability. Baldridge’s letter contests those statements and indicates Swift only learned of the renewed deposition push days before his response to the court.
The dispute over whether Swift will be deposed is the latest development in a case that has drawn widespread media attention and public scrutiny, in part because it involves several high-profile entertainment figures. Court filings and public statements to date have focused on procedural disputes over discovery and subpoenas rather than new allegations of underlying misconduct.
The judge will decide whether to allow extensions of discovery and whether nonparty witnesses, including Swift, must appear for testimony. If the court compels a deposition, Baldridge’s letter indicates Swift’s counsel has proposed a possible window in late October to accommodate that requirement.