Los Angeles, Sep 13 : Pop icon Taylor Swift will not have to testify under oath for the ongoing legal battle between Hollywood actress Blake Lively and actor-director Justin Baldoni.

The judge has now ruled that Swift will not be deposed by Justin Baldoni's legal team, reports 'Female First UK'.

The 'It Ends With Us' filmmaker had called on the 'Karma' hitmaker to sit for a legal meeting with the singer as part of his legal battle with Blake Lively, who is suing him and his production company Wayferer Studios for sexual harassment and retaliation.

As per 'Female First UK', the federal judge overseeing the case has declined a request to extend a deadline so that Taylor Swift can sit for a deposition after the release of her 'The Life of a Showgirl' album.

Judge Lewis Liman wrote in a four-page order obtained by 'Deadline', 'The Wayfarer Parties contend that their requested extension is necessary because Swift's preexisting professional obligations now prevent her from being deposed within the current discovery window. The Wayfarer Parties have not similarly demonstrated good cause for their requested extension. The only justification they have provided for the extension is their assertion that Swift's preexisting professional obligations now prevent her from appearing for a deposition prior to October 20, 2025'.

He added, "Importantly, however, the Wayfarer Parties have provided no discussion of when they began attempting to schedule the deposition. Discovery has been ongoing in this case for approximately six months. The Wayfarer Parties previously requested Swift's deposition in May 2025 before ultimately withdrawing the subpoena. They have offered no evidence that they have served a renewed subpoena on Swift. Thus, at most, the Wayfarer Parties have demonstrated that scheduling the deposition now presents logistical difficulties; that does not answer the question of why the deposition 'could not have been conducted earlier'. Having failed to demonstrate appropriate diligence, the requested extension is denied'.

At the same time, the judge agreed to Blake's request for a 10-day extension on depositions for Justin and his Wayfarer Studios co-founders, Steve Sarowitz and Jamey Heath. Taylor Swift's lawyer had made it clear that the 35-year-old singer had not agreed to the deposition but would do so "if forced".

/IANS