In a major development to the messy legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, it appears that the Gossip Girl star has requested to withdraw the claims that Baldoni caused her “emotional distress” while working together on It Ends With Us.
Lively’s request to drop the claim — in which she alleged that she suffered from “intentional infliction of emotional distress” and negligent infliction of emotional distress” while working with Baldoni for the 2024 film — comes after the director’s legal team asked that she sign a release form for them to access her medical and mental health records, Page Six reports.
The publication adds that Baldoni’s legal team argued that access to these records was necessary for Lively’s “emotional distress” allegations, which were made in her December 2024 lawsuit.
“Instead of complying with the Medical RFPs, Ms. Lively’s counsel recently advised us, in writing, that Ms. Lively is withdrawing her [infliction of emotional distress] claims,” Baldoni’s team responded in a filing which Page Six has claimed to have viewed.
In response to the hullabaloo surrounding Lively’s request to drop the claims, Lively’s legal team told Page Six that the request was “a routine part of the litigation process that is being used as a press stunt.”
“We are doing what trial lawyers do: preparing our case for trial by streamlining and focusing it,” Lively’s legal team stated.
“The Baldoni-Wayfarer strategy of filing retaliatory claims has exposed them to expansive new damages claims under California law, rendering certain of Ms. Lively’s original claims no longer necessary.
“Ms. Lively continues to allege emotional distress, as part of numerous other claims in her lawsuit, such as sexual harassment and retaliation, and massive additional compensatory damages on all of her claims.”
The highly publicised legal battle between Lively and Baldoni first kicked off back in late 2024 when Lively filed a lawsuit against the It Ends With Us director, where she sued him for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages.
Shortly after Lively’s bombshell lawsuit, Baldoni countersued his It Ends With US co-star, her publicist Leslie Sloane and her husband Ryan Reynolds.
The court has yet to make a decision on whether or not Lively’s request will be approved.
Image source: Getty Images
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