Pursuant to a ruling by Judge Lewis Liman, Ms. Taylor Swift will not be compelled to sit for deposition in connection with the ongoing litigation between Mr. Justin Baldoni and Ms. Blake Lively.
Court filings reflect that counsel for Mr. Baldoni and the associated ‘Wayfarer Parties’ sought an extension of the discovery deadline until the end of October in order to depose Ms. Swift, asserting that she was unavailable within the existing discovery period. Judge Liman, however, denied the request, holding that the Wayfarer Parties had not demonstrated ‘good cause’ for the extension nor adequately explained why Ms. Swift could not have been deposed earlier.
Prior to the ruling, Ms. Swift’s counsel, Mr. Doug Baldridge of Venable LLP, submitted a letter to the Court advising that Ms. Swift did not consent to provide deposition testimony voluntarily, and would only appear if compelled by court order.
In his ruling, Judge Lewis Liman denied the application by the ‘Wayfarer Parties’ to extend the discovery deadline for the purpose of deposing Ms. Taylor Swift. The Court found that the Wayfarer Parties had failed to establish good cause. The only justification advanced was that Ms. Swift’s preexisting professional obligations prevented her availability prior to October 20, 2025. Judge Liman noted, however, that the Wayfarer Parties had not disclosed when efforts to schedule the deposition commenced, despite discovery having been ongoing for approximately six months. The Court further observed that although the Wayfarer Parties initially sought Ms. Swift’s deposition in May 2025, they subsequently withdrew the subpoena and have presented no evidence of a renewed subpoena being served. The Court concluded that the Wayfarer Parties demonstrated no more than logistical difficulties, which did not excuse their lack of diligence, and accordingly denied the requested extension.
Conversely, the Court granted Ms. Blake Lively’s request for an extension of time to depose Mr. Justin Baldoni and his Wayfarer co-founders, Mr. Steve Sarowitz and Mr. Jamey Heath. Judge Liman held that Ms. Lively had been generally diligent, and her request did not result from carelessness, scheduling conflicts, or changes in litigation strategy. The Court directed that the three parties be made available for deposition within the extended discovery period.
These rulings coincided with the submission of a letter by Ms. Swift’s counsel, Mr. Doug Baldridge of Venable LLP, stating that Ms. Swift had not consented to deposition and would only appear if compelled by court order. Counsel emphasized that Ms. Swift has no material role in the dispute between Mr. Baldoni and Ms. Lively. Mr. Baldridge further clarified that while Ms. Swift’s legal team only learned of the proposed deposition three days prior, she could make herself available during the week of October 20, 2025, if legally required.
Ms. Lively’s attorneys opposed the Wayfarer Parties’ request to extend discovery for Ms. Swift’s deposition, characterizing the effort as an improper, media-driven tactic. They argued that the defendants have repeatedly attempted to draw Ms. Swift into the matter to advance a publicity strategy, without establishing good cause. Counsel further highlighted that the defendants previously withdrew a May subpoena for Ms. Swift under significant public attention, and now seek to revive the issue without serving a new subpoena or offering adequate justification.
Finally, Ms. Lively’s counsel stressed that Ms. Swift is a non-party witness with extensive professional obligations, and her removal from the litigation is warranted. A source close to Ms. Swift reiterated that she seeks to remain uninvolved in the dispute, which she considers unrelated to her and protracted in nature.#newsafro_
