Blake Lively wants to pull back two emotional distress claims in her high-profile lawsuit against actor and director Justin Baldoni. But with over a dozen other accusations still standing, the legal drama is far from over.
According to Variety, Lively filed to dismiss claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress and negligent infliction of emotional distress on Monday. The decision came shortly after Baldoni’s legal team requested access to Lively’s medical records, including therapy notes, via a HIPAA release.
What do the emotional distress claims mean?
The Cornell Legal Information Institute defines intentional infliction of emotional distress as when someone purposely or recklessly acts in a way that causes another person extreme emotional suffering, such as threatening to harm them.
Meanwhile, the State Bar of Michigan describes negligent infliction of emotional distress as when someone’s careless actions, without any physical contact, cause stress so severe that it results in a physical injury. According to court documents obtained by Newsweek, Lively alleges she still suffers from such injuries.
Baldoni’s response
In a letter filed by Baldoni’s attorneys and obtained by Variety, the legal team argues Lively wants to sidestep disclosure requirements.
“Ms. Lively wants to simultaneously refuse to disclose the information and documents needed to disprove that she suffered any emotional distress and/or that the Wayfarer Parties were the cause,” the letter states.
Baldoni’s attorneys also suggest Lively may be trying to preserve the right to refile the emotional distress claims at a later time, accusing her of using the original lawsuit as a publicity tactic.
Timeline of the dispute
The legal conflict began in December 2024 when Lively sued Baldoni, accusing him of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign during the production of “It Ends With Us.”
Since then, the case has pulled in additional high-profile names, including Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds, Lively’s husband.
Involvement of Taylor Swift and Ryan Reynolds
Baldoni alleged that Lively tried to pressure longtime friend Swift into making a public statement of support. However, a judge recently granted Lively’s team’s motion to dismiss that claim, per Deadline.
Reynolds, while not speaking out publicly, has filed to be removed from the case. In March, he submitted a motion to dismiss the claims made against him. Baldoni had countersued both Lively and Reynolds for civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy.
In a letter obtained by People in March, Reynolds’ lawyers said Baldoni’s countersuit was on the basis of Reynolds calling Baldoni a “predator” in private conversations.
“Mr. Reynolds has a First Amendment right to express his opinion of Mr. Baldoni, which should be comforting to a group of people who have repeatedly called Ms. Lively and Mr. Reynolds ‘bullies’ and other names over the past year,” Reynolds’ legal team said.
With the trial set for March 2026, Lively’s move to withdraw two claims still leaves 13 others on the table. Those include allegations of civil conspiracy, breach of contract and sexual harassment.
