Justin Baldoni’s lawyers dropped their documents subpoena on Taylor Swift

Well, well. This is certainly interesting and not the way I thought this story would end. Several weeks ago, Taylor Swift was served with a subpoena. Then, last week, Justin Baldoni’s lawyers made a series of very bold accusations involving Taylor Swift and Blake Lively. Baldoni’s lawyers had subpoenaed Taylor as a witness in the ongoing Baldoni-Lively lawsuits. Without going into every single piece of this sordid backstory, I actually thought Taylor was very much a witness to at least one important piece of the lawsuits, a significant meeting at Blake’s apartment between Blake and Justin. Baldoni’s lawyers claimed all kinds of really incendiary things though, like Blake was threatening to release years of Taylor’s texts, and Blake asked Taylor to delete texts. It was all a bit much, and the judge on the case told Baldoni’s lawyers to drop that part. As far as I know, there were still ongoing discussions about whether Taylor would sit for a deposition, and whether Taylor and Blake’s texts were relevant to the lawsuits. But now Baldoni’s team has backed down from all of that. It’s curious.

Justin Baldoni has dropped the document subpoena that was issued to Taylor Swift in his ongoing legal battle with the singer’s friend Blake Lively.

A spokesperson for Lively confirmed the news on Thursday, May 22, saying in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that they are “pleased” Baldoni’s legal team has “withdrawn their harassing subpoenas to Taylor Swift and her law firm.”

“We supported the efforts of Taylor’s team to quash these inappropriate subpoenas directed to her counsel, and we will continue to stand up for any third party who is unjustly harassed or threatened in the process,” adds the spokesperson.

“The Baldoni and Wayfarer team have tried to put Taylor Swift, a woman who has been an inspiration for tens of millions across the globe, at the center of this case since day one,” Lively’s rep claimed. “Exploiting Taylor Swift’s celebrity was the original plan in Melissa Nathan’s scenario planning document, and it continues to this day. Faced with having to justify themselves in federal court, they folded. At some point they will run out of distractions from the actual claims of sexual harassment and retaliation they are facing.”

Reps for Baldoni did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment. A rep for Swift has not commented to PEOPLE.

[From People]

“The Baldoni and Wayfarer team have tried to put Taylor Swift, a woman who has been an inspiration for tens of millions across the globe, at the center of this case since day one…” I mean… Blake was the one who invited Taylor to that meeting at Blake’s apartment. Blake was the one calling Taylor one of her “dragons” as a threat to Baldoni. I would say that Blake put Taylor in the middle of this situation, and of course Baldoni’s legal team was going to try to speak to Taylor and see what Taylor actually did within the production. What I don’t get is why Team Baldoni has backed down completely. It feels like another shoe is about to drop.

Oh, maybe this is it, per Deadline: “Part of the reason the summons was dropped was because details that the Bryan Freedman-represented Baldoni and crew sought were provided, I hear.” As in, Taylor and her lawyers looked at the meat of the documents subpoena and provided most of what Team Baldoni wanted, so Team Baldoni dropped the summons. That certainly changes the story. “Summons dropped after documents provided” is a lot different than “summons dropped out of nowhere.”

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