Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment after filming 'It Ends With Us'
The legal battle between Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni will likely get 'uglier,' attorney says
Criminal defense attorney Lexie Rigden joined 'Fox & Friends First' to discuss the latest on the embattled legal saga between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni.
Taylor Swift's silence regarding Blake Lively's ongoing legal battle against her "It Ends With Us" costar Justin Baldoni "speaks volumes," according to experts.
Lively and Baldoni will head to trial in 2026 after refusing to settle their disagreement outside of court, putting Swift – who has been pals with Lively since 2015 – in an awkward position.
While the pop star has "publicly distanced" herself from the legal back-and-forth, she could be called to testify after being dragged into the situation by Baldoni's lawsuit. Baldoni's lawsuit followed Lively's own, in which she accused the actor of sexual harassment while filming "It Ends with Us." However, Baldoni insisted Lively "falsely" accused him in an attempt to repair her reputation following the fallout around the movie's press tour after she took control of the film.
BLAKE LIVELY VS. JUSTIN BALDONI: EVERYTHING TO KNOW
Taylor Swift's friendship with Blake Lively is in the spotlight amid the actress' legal battle with Justin Baldoni. (Getty Images)
"Taylor has publicly distanced herself from this – and I get why. She likely hopes to stay out of the mess entirely," PR expert Adrienne Uthe explained to Fox News Digital. "But that’s not reality. Like it or not, people want to hear her testimony. She’s staying silent because nothing good comes from getting involved – and honestly, who would want to if they were in her position? But her silence also says a lot."
"She appears aligned with Hollywood’s power players – and that tarnishes the ‘good girl’ image many of her fans have held onto," the founder of Kronus Communications added.
"People stay strategically quiet for many reasons, and sure, some stars just want to avoid the press – I respect that. But for someone as media-savvy as Taylor Swift to stay out of this? That speaks volumes. And frankly, we all want to hear her side."
BLAKE LIVELY SHUT DOWN BY JUDGE IN JUSTIN BALDONI CASE FOR ‘OVERLY INTRUSIVE’ REQUEST
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's 2026 trial could possibly see testimony from Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds. (MEGA/GC Images | DAMEBK/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)
"People stay strategically quiet for many reasons, and sure, some stars just want to avoid the press – I respect that. But for someone as media-savvy as Taylor Swift to stay out of this? That speaks volumes. And frankly, we all want to hear her side."
— Adrienne Uthe, founder of Kronus Communications
Swift's silence indicates the pop star is considering "her own brand," crisis communications expert and founder of Achilles PR, Doug Eldridge, told Fox News Digital.
"Yes, she just wrapped the first-ever billion-dollar tour and is arguably at the pinnacle of her popularity; however, last year, she isolated a lot of fans with her political affiliation (pro-Harris, anti-Trump) and there's a certain market value she has to keep in mind: vanilla wins," Eldridge noted.
"In other words, vanilla ice cream isn't many people's favorite flavor, but if you serve it at a party, few people will have a problem with it. By way of analogy, staying out of the social media spotlight – and hopefully, off the witness stand in a courtroom – Swift preserves all sections and demographic segments of her fan-base bell curve," he added.
By staying out of the "social media spotlight" when it comes to Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle, Taylor Swift "preserves all sections and demographic segments of her fan-base bell curve," crisis communications expert Doug Eldridge told Fox News Digital. (Matt Winkelmeyer)
"As Lance Armstrong once famously said at the height of his Tour de France dominance: 'Why would I out myself as a Democrat or Republican; cancer affects everyone, regardless of party, so I don't want to immediately isolate half the room.' So, too, is the case with Swift and Lively. If your best friend is 12 months away from trial but is losing another round of PR points every 12 minutes, it might be best to be more local than vocal. It's become damage control for all parties involved, and Swift is no exception."
If Swift is called to testify, she would likely be an effective witness, based on her "fame and likability," entertainment lawyer Tre Lovell told Fox News Digital.
"She will have immediate credibility, which is crucial," the lawyer at the Lovell Firm said. "However, once she testifies, then it will all depend on the cross-examination and if counsel is able to poke holes in her testimony."
Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni for sexual harassment after filming "It Ends With Us." Baldoni has denied the allegations against him. (Getty Images)
"As with any witness of any stature, a strong cross-examination will have a powerful effect on how she is ultimately perceived and can easily nullify any preconceptions. The jury may be starstruck at first to see Taylor Swift testify, but that will quickly evaporate once she starts testifying and her credibility and veracity are on display," Lovell noted. "Remember, she’s not a party but a witness, so her celebrity factor will be limited to her witness testimony and whether or not she’s telling the truth or otherwise being accurate. No one is determining if she is guilty or liable, only assessing whether her testimony is relevant and believable."
The potential "legal circus" that would ensue if Swift were to testify would not be appreciated by the court, Oleg Nekritin, attorney at the Law Offices of Robert J. DeGroot, told Fox News Digital.
"For Mr. Baldoni's sake, the reasoning to depose Ms. Swift must be more than her being a bestie of Ms. Lively," Nekritin explained. "The discovery rules permit the parties to make extensive discovery requests and demands. Depositions are commonplace in civil litigation with the parties seeking them only having to establish that the deponent may have relevant information about the case. If Ms. Swift moves to quash the deposition subpoena, Mr. Baldoni will have to demonstrate that she possesses relevant information to the claims or defenses in the case."
Fox News Digital reached out to representatives for Swift, Lively and Baldoni for comment.
TAYLOR SWIFT, RYAN REYNOLDS COULD TESTIFY IN BLAKE LIVELY, JUSTIN BALDONI TRIAL
Taylor Swift "will have immediate credibility" if she takes the stand, "which is crucial," entertainment lawyer Tre Lovell told Fox News Digital. "However, once she testifies, then it will all depend on the cross-examination and if counsel is able to poke holes in her testimony." (AP Photo/David Becker)
Anyone who witnessed something "that goes to the heart of either lawsuit" might be "compelled" to testify, legal experts previously told Fox News Digital. Swift is mentioned in Baldoni's lawsuit, as is Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds.
"According to Justin Baldoni’s complaint, [Taylor Swift] may have been present for conversation[s] where Baldoni alleges Lively was pressuring him to accept her re-writes of a particular scene," Fox News legal editor Kerri Urbahn explained.
"And Lively, in the now-infamous text released by Baldoni, has sparked widespread speculation she was referring to Taylor Swift when she told Baldoni she had ‘dragons’ protecting her. Not sure how well ‘Subpoenaed Dragon’ would do as a song title, but given the lawfare that’s going on between the two parties, we may be headed in that direction."
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively on the set of "It Ends With Us" (Getty Images)
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Baldoni mentioned Swift in his lawsuit by sharing texts exchanged between him and Lively. The "Jane the Virgin" star claimed Lively used her friendship with Swift to threaten him into changing the "It Ends With Us" script. While working on the film, Lively insisted on rewriting the rooftop scene. Baldoni had been hesitant about the idea but told Lively he would "take a look at what she put together," according to the complaint.
Afterward, Lively invited Baldoni to her New York City home, where the actor said he felt Swift and Reynolds pressured him into using Lively's rewrite of the scene. "Later, Baldoni felt obliged to text Lively to say that he had liked her pages and hadn’t needed Reynolds and her megacelebrity friend to pressure him," the complaint said.
"I really love what you did. It really does help a lot. Makes it so much more fun and interesting. (And I would have felt that way without Ryan and Taylor [emoji] You really are a talent across the board. Really excited nd (sic) grateful to do this together," Baldoni's text said, according to the complaint.
Lively shared a lengthy response in which she referred to Swift and Reynolds as "dragons" who protect her.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Taylor Swift and Blake Lively have been friends since 2015. (Dustin Satloff)
Swift was again mentioned in a timeline shared on Baldoni's website, which features the actor's amended lawsuit against Lively. The actor and director shared a text exchange between the film's producer, Jamey Heath, a Sony Film executive, and a Sony marketing executive (who had allegedly just spoken with Lively) that detailed Lively's alleged "escalating demands" over the film's release and a "veiled threat" over the use of Swift's song, "My Tears Ricochet."
Swift's song was later used in the film's trailer as well as in a scene within the movie.
Resurfaced interviews revealed the "Midnights" singer may have had a hand in casting Isabela Ferrer, the rising star who played the younger version of Lively's character, Lily Bloom.
Baldoni said in an interview that he showed Taylor Swift and Blake Lively Isabela Ferrer's casting tape before she got the role of young Lily Bloom. (Getty Images)
"I was casting, and I had actually brought in and showed her casting tape to Blake and Taylor, and they were both like, ‘Yes! Her,'" Baldoni said in an interview with "Access Hollywood." "And that’s a true story."
Fox News Digital's Christina Dugan Ramirez contributed to this report.
