The legal battle between actress Blake Lively and director Justin Baldoni, stemming from their collaboration on the film It Ends With Us, has taken a new turn. Lively is reportedly seeking to withdraw two specific claims from her ongoing lawsuit against Baldoni: intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
This development follows a request from Baldoni’s legal team for Lively to release medical records, including therapy notes, as part of their defense. Baldoni’s team sought these records to challenge Lively’s initial allegations that she suffered “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment” due to Baldoni’s alleged actions.
Why Drop the Claims? Competing Narratives Emerge
Lively’s legal team has characterized the move as a strategic decision to “streamline and focus” her case ahead of trial. They argue that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, by filing what Lively’s lawyers term “retaliatory claims” (including a counter-suit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds), have opened themselves up to “expansive new damages claims” under California law. This, according to Lively’s representation, makes the separate, stand-alone emotional distress claims “no longer necessary,” as emotional distress can now be sought as damages under other remaining allegations, such as sexual harassment and retaliation. Lively’s team maintains she continues to allege emotional distress as part of these other claims and is seeking “massive additional compensatory damages.”
Conversely, Baldoni’s legal team views Lively’s attempt to withdraw these claims as an effort to avoid disclosing potentially relevant medical information. According to filings by Baldoni’s lawyers, Lively’s counsel informed them she would withdraw the claims but only “without prejudice,” meaning she could potentially refile them later. Baldoni’s team argues that if Lively is withdrawing these claims, it should be “with prejudice” to ensure finality and prevent her from reviving them after avoiding discovery into her mental health history. They contend that by alleging emotional distress, she put her medical condition at issue, waiving doctor-patient privilege.
Lively’s attorneys have pushed back strongly against Baldoni’s stance, calling his filing a “press stunt” and accusing his team of a “bait and switch,” timing the motion to compel medical records and subsequent public disclosure for media attention. They argue the medical information Baldoni seeks is relevant only to the specific claims being dropped, not to emotional distress alleged under other claims.
Ultimately, the court will decide whether to dismiss the emotional distress claims as requested by Lively or compel her to hand over information related to her mental health as sought by Baldoni’s team. The decision will also likely address whether the claims, if dismissed, are done so with or without prejudice.
The Broader Conflict
The dispute between the former co-stars is part of a much larger and increasingly complex legal landscape. The conflict originated in December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, and a smear campaign orchestrated by Baldoni and his associates after she voiced concerns about alleged misconduct on the set of It Ends With Us. Lively’s initial filing included the emotional distress claims she is now attempting to withdraw.
This was followed by:
A New York Times article reporting on Lively’s allegations and citing alleged messages from Baldoni’s team.
A $250 million libel lawsuit filed by Baldoni, Wayfarer, and others against The New York Times, denying the smear campaign allegations and claiming the report was based on a “false” narrative.
Lively filing a formal lawsuit in New York in December 2024, echoing claims from her initial complaint.
A counter-lawsuit filed by Baldoni, Wayfarer, and others in January 2025 against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and Lively’s publicist, alleging civil extortion, defamation, and interference, claiming Lively attempted to seize control of the film and smeared them after facing backlash for her marketing.
- Tangential disputes, including allegations that other women on set found Baldoni’s behavior uncomfortable (added in an amended complaint by Lively), accusations of “abuser playbook” tactics from Lively’s side and “bad actor” claims from Baldoni’s, a brief summoning of Taylor Swift for alleged involvement in script changes (which was later dropped), and a lawsuit filed by Baldoni’s former publicist against him.
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c62v5g81857o
- https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/jun/03/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-claims-dropped
- https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2025/06/03/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-lawsuit-update/84006011007/
- https://variety.com/2025/film/news/blake-lively-abandons-claims-justin-baldoni-1236414177/
- https://www.eonline.com/news/1418250/blake-lively-addresses-dropping-emotional-distress-claims-in-lawsuit
Both sides have presented supporting materials, including behind-the-scenes video footage and alleged voice memos.
The dispute over Lively’s emotional distress claims is the latest maneuver in this heated legal exchange between Lively and Baldoni, former co-stars who initially worked together on a film addressing domestic abuse. The trial for Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni is currently scheduled for March 9, 2026.
