Taylor Swift has agreed to be deposed in the legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, according to recent court filings, but Lively’s attorneys have pushed back on the proposed scheduling and questioned whether the singer actually consented.
In papers filed by defendants tied to Baldoni’s counterclaims, lawyers for the Wayfarer Parties said they had requested an agreement to take Swift’s deposition during the week of Oct. 20–25 "due to Ms. Swift’s preexisting professional obligations," and that Swift "agreed to appear" but was "unable to do so before October 20." Those filings note the timing follows the singer’s planned release of a new album on Oct. 3.
Lively’s legal team filed a response disputing the representation and arguing that Baldoni’s attorneys had ample opportunity to schedule Swift’s deposition before the close of fact discovery. Lively’s lawyers wrote that the Wayfarer defendants asserted — "though, notably, without evidence" — that Swift had agreed to a deposition between Oct. 20–25, which would be three weeks after the close of fact discovery in the matter. They said the defendants had not shown good cause for extending or modifying discovery deadlines.
The deposition request arises in the midst of a complex dispute that began in December 2024, when Lively sued Baldoni alleging he sexually harassed her while filming the movie It Ends With Us and that he led a smear campaign against her. Baldoni, in a January countersuit, denied the harassment claims and sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s firm Vision PR Inc. for $400 million, alleging defamation and extortion.
Baldoni’s complaint has included assertions that Lively referred to Reynolds and Swift as her "dragons" and described herself as "Khaleesi" in an alleged text exchange. In filings and correspondence tied to the case, Baldoni’s counsel also referenced a meeting they said involved Swift at a New York City penthouse where an exchange about the film’s rooftop scene occurred. Lively has denied the allegations against her.
A separate episode in the litigation involved a letter sent by Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, to U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman that suggested Lively’s counsel had threatened to release Swift’s text messages if she did not publicly support Lively. Judge Liman struck that letter from the record, calling the filing "improper" and "irrelevant."
Swift was subpoenaed as a witness in May but the subpoena was later dropped after a representative for the singer told the court she was not involved in the production. Swift’s representative stated at the time that the singer "never set foot on the set of this movie, 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 traveling around the globe during 2023 and 2024 headlining the biggest tour in history." The representative has also said Swift had no involvement in the film’s casting or creative decisions.
Court filings filed by Baldoni’s side explain the parties’ interest in Swift’s testimony stems from claims about a meeting where the rooftop scene was discussed; Baldoni’s lawyers contend Swift’s testimony is relevant to his account of events. Lively’s attorneys counter that the request to depose Swift after discovery closed is untimely and unsupported by evidence showing the singer agreed to the proposed dates.
Swift is a longtime friend of Lively’s and is godmother to the Lively–Reynolds children, a relationship that has been referenced in media coverage of the dispute. Reports in the spring indicated the friendship had become strained amid the litigation; those personal developments have been separate from the court’s procedural arguments.
The parties remain engaged in pretrial litigation over discovery disputes and other motions. The case between Lively and Baldoni is scheduled for trial in March 2026.
Representatives for Swift, Baldoni and Lively were contacted for comment. Swift’s camp previously denied the singer’s involvement in the film and said she had neither seen nor edited the movie prior to its release. The dispute between the parties is continuing through filings and pretrial scheduling as the court considers requests related to discovery and witness testimony.