Blake Lively has dropped two emotional distress counts from her complaint against actor and director Justin Baldoni, her co-star in the 2024 romantic drama It Ends With Us. The legal battle started in December 2024 when Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and hatching a smear campaign against her after the release of the film.
On Tuesday, Variety published that Judge Lewis Liman presiding over the case ruled that the claims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress made by Lively would be dismissed. Yet the court indicated a disagreement between both sides as to whether or not the dismissal would be with prejudice. The legal team for Baldoni asked the claims be dismissed once and for all, while Lively consented only to withdrawing them without prejudice i.e., she could subsequently refile them.
Baldoni’s lawyers previously also asked to access Lively’s medical and therapy records to dispute her allegations of extreme emotional and mental distress. The judge in turn denied their motion to produce the documents, subject to Lively’s dropping the allegations.
A filing from Baldoni’s legal team criticized Lively for allegedly trying to withhold evidence while keeping the option to reintroduce the claims after the discovery period closes. Judge Liman stated that if the claims are not officially dismissed, Lively will be barred from presenting any evidence related to emotional distress in court.
Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, dismissed the filing as “a press stunt,” asserting that Baldoni’s retaliatory legal actions have opened the door for broader damages under California law. They emphasized that emotional distress remains part of Lively’s broader allegations, including sexual harassment, retaliation, and additional compensatory damages.
In the meantime, Baldoni and his representatives have sued The New York Times for $250 million defamation in response to its in-depth report about Lively’s purported smear campaign.