Blake Lively‘s actions may have come back to bite her!
A powerful lawyer with ties to Taylor Swift has joined Justin Baldoni‘s side of the ongoing legal battle against his It Ends With Us co-star. And the move is so major, insiders are already saying the actor’s team is “thrilled” with the addition!
According to a Monday report by DailyMail.com, a woman named Ellyn S. Garofalo has joined up as part of the legal team representing Justin and his Wayfarer production company in its ongoing war against Lively. Of course, y’all probably don’t know Ellyn by name — since y’all never crossed Taylor Swift! LOLz! She’s a high-powered litigator who worked for years at the firm Venable LLP — which, as you may know, just so happens to be Taylor’s law firm of choice!!!
That’s right, y’all. A capable lawyer who spent years working on behalf of the 35-year-old pop superstar’s interests in the entertainment biz has jumped ship to join Baldoni’s side against the Gossip Girl alum. Talk about a BIG behind-the-scenes move…
Related: Taylor Skipped Hailee Steinfeld’s Wedding! Are These Two Still Friends At All?!
Per DM, Garofalo’s addition to Baldoni’s team came in the aftermath of that brouhaha last month in which Justin’s lawyers alleged Blake had tried to extort Taylor! Wayfarer’s team had sought access to text messages and other info at the time via subpoena — claiming they heard Blake had threatened to leak Taylor’s private texts if she didn’t make a public show of support! Whoa!
Blake’s lawyers tried to fight the filing, and eventually won a motion for dismissal. Baldoni’s legal team then withdrew a subpoena linked to it after Swift’s team at Venable. It seemed Blake won… but plenty of fans were convinced the story was true. Even more so when it later came out that the person who dropped the dime on the alleged text message release threats in the first place may have been none other than Tay Tay’s dad, Scott Swift. Juicy!
Well, it was the aftermath of all that chaos late last month which pushed Garofalo to Baldoni’s side! Per a DM insider, Ellyn decided to join Justin’s team after Venable was able to get the subpoena tossed. The source claims Garofalo was moved to lend her legal expertise to Justin after seeing Blake’s allegedly dirty tactics firsthand:
“Garofalo was compelled to join the case after reviewing its circumstances, feeling strongly that an injustice was unfolding and that her participation could make a meaningful difference.”
Wow!!
Garofalo has a pretty incredible resume, too. She’s worked on civil and criminal cases, per the DM, as well as regulatory matters involving the Securities and Exchange Commission. She’s also litigated cases involving high-profile celebs like Anna Nicole Smith and Alyssa Milano! So, she’s not likely to back down from any A-list star power here.
To that end, the insider says Baldoni’s team is “thrilled” to add her to the mix:
“For Ellyn to join the counsel is huge. Baldoni’s team is thrilled because of her track record in the courtroom.”
Sounds like a major win for the 41-year-old actor. But there are other reasons she’s on board, as well. The insider wrapped things up with this little tidbit about Garofalo:
“She not only brings exceptional legal expertise but also fulfills their desire to include a prominent female litigator.”
Well THAT is very interesting. Optics matter, right?! Especially in a case like this.
Thus, to have a powerful female lawyer on hand is definitely a good get. And to have one connected to Taylor, in light of all that has gone down recently between Swift and Lively?! Yup, that’s a great get. Just saying.
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The post Is Blake Lively COOKED?! Lawyer With Taylor Swift Ties Joins Justin Baldoni’s Legal Team After Extortion Claim! appeared first on Perez Hilton.