A federal judge in New York has rejected a bid by Justin Baldoni’s legal team to extend the deadline for deposing singer Taylor Swift in the ongoing civil case involving Baldoni and actress Blake Lively.
In his ruling on Friday evening, Judge Lewis Liman said Baldoni’s lawyers had waited too long to make the request. “Discovery has been ongoing in this case for approximately six months,” the judge wrote. “They have offered no evidence that they served a renewed subpoena on Swift. Having failed to demonstrate appropriate diligence, the requested extension is denied.”
Baldoni’s team had asked to push the deadline to the end of October, arguing that Swift’s professional schedule made it impossible for her to appear before October 20. Swift is set to release her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, on October 3.
But Swift’s attorneys disputed that she ever agreed to a deposition, saying she only indicated she could be available if the court ordered it. “My client did not agree to a deposition,” her attorney wrote. “If she is forced into one, her schedule could accommodate the week of October 20, but we take no role in the disputes between the parties.”
Lively’s legal team, in a separate filing, accused Baldoni’s lawyers of using Swift’s name to generate media attention. “The Wayfarer Defendants have repeatedly sought to bring Ms. Swift into this litigation to fuel their relentless media strategy,” they said, adding that Swift’s privacy and schedule were being disrespected.
Swift, a longtime friend of Lively’s, has largely been on the sidelines of the dispute. She was first mentioned when text messages in Baldoni’s since-dismissed countersuit included her name. Swift later received a subpoena in May, which was withdrawn. Her representatives have made clear that her only link to the film It Ends With Us was licensing one of her songs, “My Tears Ricochet.”
“Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in casting, creative decisions, or editing,” a spokesperson said earlier this year. “Her name is being used to create headlines instead of focusing on the facts of the case.”
Although Baldoni’s lawsuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds was dismissed, Lively is continuing with her own claims of sexual harassment and retaliation against Baldoni. The case is scheduled to go to trial next spring.
