Did Blake Energetic Threaten Taylor Swift? What Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Is Alleging

A day after Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, alleged that Blake Energetic “demanded” Taylor Swift launch an announcement supporting her, Decide Lewis J. Liman has had the accusations stricken from the case.

On Thursday, Might 15, Decide Liman — who’s presiding over the trial between the 2 “It Ends With Us” stars set for March 9, 2026, in New York — described Freedman’s letter as “improper” and stated it “have to be stricken,” in a courtroom ruling obtained by TODAY.com.

“It’s irrelevant to any problem earlier than this Courtroom and doesn’t request any motion from this Courtroom,” Decide Liman wrote.

He continued, “The only real function of the Letter is to ‘promote public scandal’ by advancing inflammatory accusations, on data and perception, towards Energetic and her counsel. It transparently invitations a press uproar by suggesting that Energetic and her counsel tried to ‘extort’ a widely known superstar.”

On the finish of Decide Liman’s assertion, he added, “Counsel is suggested that future misuse of the Courtroom’s docket could also be met with sanctions.”

Energetic’s spokesperson despatched an announcement to TODAY.com reacting to Decide Liman granting the request of the Energetic’s authorized workforce to take away Freedman’s allegations from the report.

“It took the courtroom lower than 24 hours to see by Mr. Freedman’s irrelevant, improper and inflammatory accusations, strike them, take away them from the courtroom and warn Mr. Freedman that additional misconduct could also be met with sanctions,” Energetic’s spokesperson stated in an announcement.

TODAY.com has reached out to Freedman for a remark.

Liman’s determination relating to Freedman’s accusations is the most recent growth involving the authorized battle between the 2 former co-stars. Following Swift’s spokesperson addressing the pop star reportedly being subpoenaed in Energetic and Baldoni’s authorized back-and-forth, Freedman filed a letter with Decide Liman on Might 14, by which the legal professional wrote that the aim of the subpoena was to entry discovery relating to “witness tampering and proof spoliation.”

He stated that the counsel for Wayfarer Events, which incorporates Baldoni, obtained “data from a supply who is extremely more likely to have dependable data” alleging that Energetic requested Swift to delete their textual content messages. Freedman then claimed that Michael Gottlieb, Energetic’s lawyer, contacted Swift’s legal professional and “demanded that Ms. Swift launch an announcement of help for Ms. Energetic, intimating that, if Ms. Swift refused to take action, non-public textual content messages of a private nature in Ms. Energetic’s possession could be launched.”

Freedman additional described the alleged calls for as “inappropriate and apparently extortionate threats” and stated a consultant for Swift responded to them in “at the very least one written communication” despatched to Gottlieb. 

“It’s these communications that the Wayfarer Events search to acquire by means of subpoena, as they might proof an try and intimidate and coerce a percipient witness on this litigation,” Baldoni’s lawyer continued.

TODAY.com obtained an announcement from Gottlieb relating to Freedman’s letter to the decide, by which he known as the accusations “categorically false.” 

“It must be pointless to reply to anonymously sourced, baseless, allegations recklessly leveled with none supporting proof. It’s value stating for the report, nonetheless, that every of the allegations within the Freedman Letter is unequivocally and demonstrably false. As a authorized matter, the Freedman Letter is improper. It doesn’t search any type of reduction, is irrelevant to any movement at the moment pending earlier than the Courtroom, and serves no reputable function. It isn’t helpful to the Courtroom the least bit,” Energetic’s attorneys wrote. 

Additionally they stated that Freedman’s letter appeared meant to “launder scandalous and defamatory allegations about Ms. Energetic and opposing counsel into the press.”

TODAY.com reached out to Swift’s rep for a remark, as properly.  

Swift’s spokesperson beforehand issued an announcement relating to the subpoena, asserting that the musician has no connection to the film adaptation apart from her track “My Tears Ricochet” being featured on the soundtrack. Her rep stated that the witness summons was a strategy to generate “tabloid clickbait.”

“Taylor Swift by no means set foot on the set of this film, she was not concerned in any casting or inventive selections, she didn’t rating the movie, she by no means noticed an edit or made any notes on the movie, she didn’t even see ‘It Ends With Us’ till weeks after its public launch, and was touring across the globe throughout 2023 and 2024 headlining the most important tour in historical past,” the assertion stated. 

Her rep continued, “The connection Taylor needed to this movie was allowing the usage of one track, ‘My Tears Ricochet.’ On condition that her involvement was licensing a track for the movie, which 19 different artists additionally did, this doc subpoena is designed to make use of Taylor Swift’s identify to attract public curiosity by creating tabloid clickbait as a substitute of specializing in the details of the case.”

Energetic and Baldoni’s authorized case started on Dec. 20 when Energetic filed an 80-page sexual harassment grievance alleging that Baldoni created a hostile office surroundings on the set of “It Ends With Us” and that he later launched a smear marketing campaign to “destroy” her popularity. She additionally alleged that he crossed the road whereas they filmed intimate scenes and that he harassed her on set.

Freedman reacted to the accusations in an announcement to TODAY.com on the time, calling them “utterly false, outrageous and deliberately salacious.”

Energetic then filed a federal lawsuit towards Baldoni, his manufacturing firm, Wayfarer Studios, producer Jamey Heath, disaster communications consultant Melissa Nathan and publicist Jennifer Abel on Dec. 31. Her legal professional alleged there was a “retaliatory marketing campaign Wayfarer launched towards her for reporting sexual harassment and office security considerations.”

Following an article about Energetic’s accusations, Baldoni sued The New York Instances for libel. He additionally filed a lawsuit towards Energetic, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, Energetic’s rep Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR agency on Jan. 16, accusing them of defamation and disregarding contractual claims. 

Swift turned linked to the case when Baldoni filed his go well with, which included alleged textual content messages exchanged between him and Energetic. Within the paperwork, a “Taylor” is referenced and described as a “megacelebrity pal.” 

Baldoni’s workforce confirmed to NBC Information on the time that the “Taylor” within the go well with was the pop singer, who has been mates with Energetic for years. 

In response to NBC Information, one alleged textual content from Energetic learn, “In the event you ever get round to watching Recreation of Thrones, you’ll recognize that I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I occur to have a couple of dragons. For higher or worse, however often higher. As a result of my dragons additionally shield these I combat for. So actually all of us profit from these beautiful monsters of mine. You’ll too, I can promise you.”