Taylor Swift dragged into Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni court case over ‘It Ends With Us’

The legal dispute between actress Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni over supposed sexual harassment on the set of the new movie ‘It Ends With Us’ has unexpectedly taken a new turn, with international pop phenomenon Taylor Swift inexplicably swept up in the scandal. Swift, who is close friends with Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, has been subpoenaed as a witness in the sensational case-despite having had minimal involvement with the film.Swift's sole link: A song on the soundtrackThe controversy reportedly started when Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni, who directed and starred in the movie version of Colleen Hoover's hit novel, of sexual harassment on set. Baldoni has, in response, accused Lively and Reynolds of trying to ruin his career.Taylor Swift's name got into the mix several months later, when she received a subpoena to appear, although Swift's representatives were quick to set the record straight about her limited involvement. "Taylor Swift never stepped onto the set of this film, she was not consulted on any casting or creative matters, she did not compose the score, she never even saw an edit or made a mark on the film, she didn't even view It Ends With Us until weeks after it came out to the public and was on tour around the world in 2023 and 2024 headlining the largest tour in history," a source told People.Her only connection to the movie is having her song ‘My Tears Ricochet’ featured on its soundtrack-a decision she made with 19 other artists. Her team called the subpoena an effort to create "tabloid clickbait," saying, "Since her contribution was licensing a song for the movie, something 19 other artists did as well, this document subpoena is crafted to use Taylor Swift's name to garner public interest by creating tabloid clickbait rather than centering on the facts of the case."Legal teams trade accusationsBefore Swift was summoned, Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, spoke to The Independent, claiming that Blake Lively was leveraging her celebrity connections to influence public opinion against Baldoni. Freedman also criticized Ryan Reynolds for allegedly trying to distance himself from the legal proceedings.While clearly uncomfortable for the Lively parties, the truth is not a distraction. The truth has been plainly demonstrated through unedited receipts, documents and real-life footage. More to come. Blake was the one who introduced her high-profile friends into this situation without regard for their own personal or public backlash. As the truth reveals, she used her Dragons to manipulate Justin at every turn," Freedman said.He also indicated that Reynolds' move might have wider repercussions, asking if Disney was "enabling Ryan to use shareholder funds to pursue a personal vendetta," and issuing a warning about corporate consequences.Longstanding friendshipTaylor Swift's close relationship with Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds is widely known. The three have been spotted together at public gatherings several times, and Swift is the godmother to their children, James, Inez, Betty, and Olin.Although Swift's company finds itself caught up in the crossfire of litigation, her camp insists that her role is a coincidental and isolated one for one song license only. While the legal controversy rages on, only time will tell whether Swift will be called upon to testify, or whether her name will continue as a footnote to an enormous Hollywood scandal.