A decide has denied Justin Baldoni’s request for an extension to depose Taylor Swift in his federal lawsuit towards Blake Full of life.
Per paperwork obtained by Us Weekly on Friday, September 12, United States District Choose Lewis Liman dominated that Baldoni, 41, and his authorized workforce had not “demonstrated good trigger for his or her requested extension. The one justification they’ve offered for the extension is their assertion that Swift’s preexisting skilled obligations now stop her from showing for a deposition previous to October 20, 2025.”
Liman referenced Baldoni’s manufacturing firm, Wayfarer Studios, stating that “the Wayfarer Events have offered no dialogue of once they started trying to schedule the deposition. Discovery has been ongoing on this case for about six months.”
The decide continued, “The Wayfarer Events beforehand requested Swift’s deposition in Could 2025 earlier than finally withdrawing the subpoena. They’ve supplied no proof that they’ve served a renewed subpoena on Swift. Thus, at most, the Wayfarer Events have demonstrated that scheduling the deposition now presents logistical difficulties; that doesn’t reply the query of why the deposition ‘couldn’t have been performed earlier.’”
In conclusion, Liman decreed, “Having did not display acceptable diligence, the requested extension is denied.”
Us beforehand reported that Baldoni’s attorneys submitted a letter on Thursday, September 11 claiming that Swift “agreed” to be deposed subsequent month. They acknowledged that the deposition would happen between October 20 to October 25, and requested an extension on the deadline to depose third events to permit them time to talk with the 35-year-old pop star.
Full of life’s workforce responded by claiming that Baldoni “repeatedly sought to convey [Swift] into this litigation to gasoline their relentless media technique.”
They acknowledged, “On this respect, [Baldoni and his team’s] lack of diligence, and disrespect for [Swift’s] privateness and schedule, is astounding.”
On Friday, Swift’s lawyer refuted Baldoni’s declare that she had agreed to the deposition.
“As counsel for the events know, because the inception of this matter we’ve constantly maintained that my consumer has no materials function on this motion,” Swift’s authorized workforce acknowledged in a letter obtained by Us.
“Additional my consumer didn’t comply with a deposition, but when she is pressured right into a deposition, we suggested (after first listening to concerning the deposition simply three days in the past) that her schedule would accommodate the time required in the course of the week of October 20 if the events had been capable of work out their disputes,” the submitting, which was addressed to Liman, continued. “We take no function in these disputes.”
Swift’s workforce beforehand addressed being named within the Full of life/Baldoni authorized feud again in March, when Baldoni rescinded a subpoena towards her.
A rep for Swift acknowledged on the time that she had no involvement within the movie on the heart of the lawsuit — It Ends With Us, which costarred Baldoni and Full of life — and has no information related to the dispute.
“Taylor Swift by no means set foot on the set of this film, she was not concerned in any casting or artistic selections, she didn’t rating the movie, she by no means noticed an edit or made any notes on the movie, she didn’t even see It Ends With Us till weeks after its public launch, and was touring across the globe throughout 2023 and 2024 headlining the most important tour in historical past,” the spokesperson added on the time.
Full of life sued Baldoni in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment on the set of the movie that he directed. She additionally claimed that he coordinated with a disaster PR workforce to launch a smear marketing campaign towards her, which he has denied. Baldoni then sued Full of life and her husband Ryan Reynolds, accusing the couple of extortion and defamation, however that lawsuit was dismissed in June.
