A lawyer for Blake Lively squashed “false” claims made by Justin Baldoni‘s legal team, alleging she “threatened” Taylor Swift again, dragging their friendship into the feud. On Wednesday, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, wrote a letter to the judge justifying their subpoena to Venable, the law firm that has represented the pop star for over a decade. According to a PEOPLE report, Freedman wrote that this could unveil Lively’s alleged “attempt to intimidate and coerce a percipient witness in this litigation.”
In response, Lively’s attorney, Mike Gottlieb, made a statement to the news outlet that same day, branding these claims “categorically false.” Additionally, Gottlieb denied Freedman’s allegation suggesting they “threatened” Swift or pressured her into releasing a statement of support for the actor.
Blake Lively’s lawyers dismiss claims made by Justin Baldoni’s side about Taylor Swift
Only days ago, Justin Baldoni served separate but similar subpoenas — in connection with the Blake Lively case — to Taylor Swift and her lawyers. Now, his legal team alleged that Lively “threatened” and pressured the singer into supporting her. However, these claims were denied by the “Gossip Girl” alum’s lawyers. In a statement to PEOPLE, Lively’s lawyer, Mike Gottlieb, remarked that they “unequivocally deny all of these so-called allegations,” dubbing them “categorically false” and “completely untethered from reality.”
Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ push back concerning the subpoenas to the Grammy winner and her lawyers at Venable prompted Baldoni’s lawyer to send a letter to the judge on Wednesday. In the letter, his lawyer, Bryan Freedman, cited a “source who is highly likely to have reliable information” to reveal that the couple’s attorneys “threatened” and “pressured” Swift’s legal team to “release a statement of support” amid her ongoing legal battle. Freedman’s claim also suggested that Lively was willing to release private text messages if they refused to do so.
Moreover, Gottlieb, the attorney representing Lively in the case, underscored the availability of reliable evidence to back these claims that seemingly targeted her and Swift’s friendship. Freedman noted that while there was no proof at the time, he believed that their subpoenas to Swift and Venable would produce communication that could help their case against Lively. On the other hand, Gottlieb assured that they “will imminently file motions with the court to hold these attorneys accountable for their misconduct here.”
Taylor Swift’s representative and Venable have previously criticized Baldoni’s team for serving them subpoenas in his legal battle against Lively.
