Actress Blake Lively has moved the court to withdraw her claims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress against Justin Baldoni, her director and co-star in ‘It Ends with Us’, according to a recent filing reported by Variety. In 2004, she filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of misconduct on the film sets.
The legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is centred around alleged misconduct and conflicts behind the scenes of the ‘It Ends with Us’ production. The actor initially claimed that Baldoni’s actions caused her “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration, and mental anguish.”
The request to dismiss the emotional distress claims came on June 2, following Baldoni’s legal team’s efforts to obtain Blake’s medical records as part of their defence. Baldoni’s attorneys sought a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) release to access her therapy notes and other relevant documents.
The filing stated: “Instead of complying with the Medical Requests for Production (RFPs), Ms. Lively’s counsel recently advised us, in writing, that Ms. Lively is withdrawing her [emotional distress] claims.” The document further criticised the move as an attempt to avoid disclosure, while reserving the right to refile the claims later.
Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, dismissed the filing as “a press stunt,” explaining that their client is “streamlining and focusing” her case.
The court is now tasked with deciding whether Blake must provide her mental health information or whether the emotional distress claims will be dismissed, with or without prejudice.
The dispute began in December 2024, when Blake filed a sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni, accusing him of misconduct on set and retaliatory smear tactics. Baldoni denied the allegations and countersued Blake, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicists in January 2025, accusing them of extortion and defamation.
Both cases, consolidated under Lively v. Wayfarer Studios, are set for trial in March 2026.