Judge Faces New Twist as Lively Seeks to Trim Lawsuit Against Baldoni
Actress narrows her lawsuit days after directors’ team demands access to private therapy files, intensifying a legal saga already priced at $400 million in countersuits.
Blake Lively petitioned the U.S. District Court in Manhattan on June 2 to drop her intentional- and negligent-infliction-of-emotional-distress claims against It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni “without prejudice,” meaning they could be revived later. Baldoni’s lawyers immediately asked Judge Lewis Liman to reject that request unless the dismissal is permanent, arguing Lively is simply shielding private therapy records while preserving a future weapon.
The emotional-distress counts were central to the actress’s December 2024 complaint, which also accuses Baldoni and his Wayfarer banner of sexual harassment, retaliation and breach of contract tied to on-set disputes during the film’s Georgia shoot. Those remaining allegations still stand, and Lively’s legal team said new documentary evidence supports concentrating on them rather than litigating “duplicative” distress issues.
Baldoni has fired back with a $400 million countersuit alleging defamation and civil extortion by Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane, claiming their press statements tanked distribution deals and damaged Wayfarer’s reputation. Reynolds has moved to dismiss, branding the filing a “public-relations sledgehammer.”
Judge Liman has scheduled a joint trial for March 9 2026 and warned both sides that discovery disputes could accelerate the timetable. Next on the calendar is a July hearing on whether Lively must hand over mental-health records, a decision that could influence whether the distress claims stay out for good.
Entertainment-law analysts say withdrawing weaker claims can streamline cases but can also embolden opponents if the move appears strategic rather than evidentiary. Social-media chatter has followed that split: Reddit’s r/FemaleCelebs praised the pivot as “smart lawyering,” while X influencers sympathetic to Baldoni accuse Lively of “hiding proof.”
Whatever the courtroom outcome, the feud has already expanded to six separate suits and dragged in a Taylor Swift subpoena that Baldoni’s team quietly withdrew last week, underscoring a conflict that shows few signs of cooling before the 2026 trial date.
