Blake Lively’s Lawyer Slams “Extortion” Claims Involving Taylor Swift as Baseless and Defamatory

Legal clash intensifies as Blake Lively’s team calls allegations of coercion “categorically false,” demanding court strike opposing letter from record amid Baldoni defamation suit

The legal battle surrounding It Ends With Us has taken a dramatic turn, with Blake Lively’s attorney vehemently denying a claim that her team tried to coerce pop icon Taylor Swift into issuing a statement of support.

The allegation, made by Justin Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, accused Michael Gottlieb — a member of Lively’s legal team at Willkie Farr — of attempting to pressure Swift via her attorney at Venable LLP. According to a letter filed with Judge Lewis J. Liman, Freedman claimed that Gottlieb “demanded that Ms. Swift release a statement of support for Ms. Lively,” allegedly threatening to release private text messages if Swift refused.

Freedman’s claim was attributed to an anonymous source “highly likely to have reliable information,” but no corroborating evidence or named witnesses were included in the filing.

Gottlieb forcefully rejected the accusation in a statement to Variety, calling it “categorically false” and “cowardly sourced to supposed anonymous sources, and completely untethered from reality.”

“This is what we have come to expect from the Wayfarer parties’ lawyers,” said Gottlieb. “They shoot first without evidence and with no regard for the damage they inflict.” He also revealed plans to file motions to hold Freedman’s team “accountable for their misconduct.”

Lively’s attorneys escalated the response with a formal letter to Judge Liman requesting the court strike Freedman’s letter from the record.

“The letter was filed without any evidentiary support — much less anything sworn under oath — and falsely accuses Ms. Lively and her counsel of witness tampering and evidence spoliation,” wrote Esra Hudson, another Lively attorney. “Each allegation is unequivocally and demonstrably false.”

Hudson further criticized the letter’s legal validity, stating it “serves no legitimate purpose,” makes no formal request to the court, and distracts from any motion currently under review.

This legal clash stems from a May 9 subpoena served by Baldoni’s team seeking documents from Swift’s legal representatives at Venable LLP. The subpoena was part of Baldoni’s ongoing defamation lawsuit, originally filed in January, which includes texts in which Lively allegedly referred to Swift as “one of her dragons.”

In response to the subpoena, a spokesperson for Swift denied any involvement in the film at the center of the dispute. “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie… she had no role in casting, scoring, editing, or creative decisions,” the statement said. “She didn’t see It Ends With Us until weeks after its release, as she was on a global tour during its production.”

As the battle intensifies, both legal teams appear poised for further court action — and the high-profile names involved ensure the spotlight won’t dim anytime soon.