Taylor Swift may soon find herself entangled in one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal disputes, though not by choice. The pop superstar’s lawyer clarified Friday that contrary to recent claims, Swift has not agreed to sit for a deposition in the ongoing battle between Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni. Still, he acknowledged that if a court grants a late subpoena, she could be compelled to testify.

The dispute arises from dueling lawsuits tied to the film adaptation of It Ends With Us. Lively is suing Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation during the project’s development. Baldoni, in turn, filed a sweeping defamation countersuit against Lively that dragged Swift’s name into the case, citing her presence at a key meeting and her close friendship with Lively.

In a letter filed Friday in Manhattan federal court, Swift’s attorney Douglas Baldridge disputed assertions from Baldoni’s legal team that Swift was prepared to cooperate. A day earlier, Baldoni’s lawyer Ellyn S. Garofalo had told the court that Swift “has agreed to appear for deposition but is unable to do so before October 20, 2025,” and sought to extend the discovery deadline to accommodate her schedule.

Baldridge flatly contradicted that account. “Since the inception of this matter, we have consistently maintained that my client has no material role in this action,” he wrote. “Further, my client did not agree to a deposition, but if she is forced into a deposition, we advised … that her schedule would accommodate the time required during the week of October 20 if the parties were able to work out their disputes.”

Baldridge emphasized that Swift, who has a new album The Life of a Showgirl set for release on October 3, had only learned of the potential deposition days earlier and played no role in the disputes driving the case.

Lively’s attorney Michael J. Gottlieb also filed a response Friday, accusing Baldoni’s camp of trying to manufacture publicity by invoking Swift’s name. “The Wayfarer defendants have repeatedly sought to bring Ms. Swift into this litigation to fuel their relentless media strategy,” Gottlieb wrote. He called the claim that Swift had agreed to testify “astounding” and said it showed “a lack of respect for Swift’s privacy and schedule.”

Gottlieb noted that Baldoni’s lawyers had months to seek her deposition but failed to do so until the discovery period had nearly closed. “At any point over the past six months, the Wayfarer defendants could have noticed a deposition, served a subpoena, and negotiated an agreeable time,” he argued. Instead, he said, they previously served Swift with a deposition notice in May, generating widespread press coverage, only to withdraw it later.

Swift’s connection to the litigation is indirect but high-profile. Baldoni’s defamation complaint alleged that she attended a meeting at Lively’s Tribeca penthouse where script changes were discussed, alongside Lively’s husband, actor Ryan Reynolds. In one filing, Baldoni quoted a text message from Lively to him describing Swift and Reynolds as her “dragons,” a reference to Game of Thrones. Lively reportedly wrote: “If you ever get around to watching Game of Thrones, you’ll appreciate that I’m Khaleesi, and like her, I happen to have a few dragons.” Baldoni interpreted the remark as a veiled warning that Swift could be mobilized against him.

Swift’s representatives have consistently dismissed such claims. Earlier this year, a spokesperson said: “Taylor Swift never set foot on the set of this movie, she was not involved in any casting or creative decisions, she did not score the film, she never saw an edit or made any notes on the film.” They accused Baldoni of leveraging her celebrity status to generate “tabloid clickbait.”

The Swift deposition fight is just the latest turn in a bitter Hollywood clash. Lively first filed a complaint with California’s Civil Rights Department in 2024, accusing Baldoni and Wayfarer of harassment and retaliation. She later went public with her allegations, sparking a countersuit from Baldoni that accused Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist of civil extortion and defamation.

That defamation complaint, which sought $400 million in damages, was dismissed by a judge in June. Lively’s harassment and retaliation claims, however, remain active and are now approaching trial.

It remains unclear whether the court will allow Baldoni’s team to subpoena Swift so late in the process.