Taylor Swift’s Texts Can Be Included in Justin Baldoni’s Narrative, Judge Rules

Thought the It Ends With Us legal drama was over when a judge dismissed Justin Baldoni’s defamation suit, as well as the emotional damage portion of Blake Lively’s? Think again. It Ends With Us will never end. Judge Lewis Liman (who has been overseeing the suits and also is director Doug Liman’s brother, for what that’s worth) has ruled that the Baldoni legal team can obtain Taylor Swift’s text messages, if they pertain to It Ends With Us. This is in contrast to Judge Liman’s previous ruling, striking down claims that Lively extorted Swift.

Last Friday, Lively’s legal team moved to block Baldoni from obtaining text messages between Lively and Swift. “The only allegations in this action that were ever remotely relevant to Ms. Swift were in the Wayfarer Parties’ now dismissed complaint,” the filing obtained by Variety read. Lively’s team claimed Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, was only bringing Swift into the conversation as a PR move. In his ruling, Judge Liman said maybe. But also? Maybe not. “A motion or request may be, and in this case often has been, both a legitimate litigation tactic and an attempt to maneuver in the broader court of public opinion,” he wrote. If texts between Swift and Lively are found to be relevant to the case, a protective order will keep their contents away from the press. So they shouldn’t appear on thelawsuitinfo.com.

• [variety]

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