Blake Lively makes shocking legal move in heated battle against Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively is attempting to drop claims that Justin Baldoni caused her emotional distress while working on their 2024 blockbuster It Ends With Us.
Court documents obtained by Page Six on Monday revealed that the Gossip Girl star requested to withdraw claims that she suffered from 'intentional infliction of emotional distress' and 'negligent infliction of emotional distress' as a result of Baldoni's alleged misconduct.
Lively's filing came after the Jane the Virgin star's legal team requested she sign a release form for them to access her medical and mental health records.
Baldoni's legal team argued the records were vital to the actress' 'emotional distress' allegations cited 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 viewed by Page Six.
The court will determine if Lively's request will be approved.
Lawyers for the Another Simple Favour star told Page Six via a statement that her 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,' they said, adding that Baldoni's team was 'desperately seeking' media attention.
'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,' the statement continued.
'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.'
Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 41, of inflicting upon her 'severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration and mental anguish' in her bombshell sexual harassment lawsuit.
According to the filing, a 'hands-on' meeting had to be held with Lively, Baldoni and the movie's production team to discuss his alleged behaviour, including how he allegedly showed her 'nude videos or images of women' and discussed his past addiction to porn.
She accused Baldoni of launching a smear campaign to destroy her reputation as a result of reporting the alleged sexual harassment.
Lively later claimed her and Ryan Reynolds' children — James, 10, Inez, 8, Betty, 5, and Olin, 2 — were also 'traumatised' by the ongoing drama.
At the time, the Five Feet Apart producer's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, slammed the 'shameful' and 'false accusations.'
'These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,' he told Page Six.
Baldoni filed his own $US400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds in January.
In the docs, he accused Lively of using Reynolds' and her bestie Taylor Swift's influence to get her way.
Baldoni also addressed speaking to Lively about his past porn addiction, saying he only mentioned it after she allegedly 'offered up' her own experience.
He also claimed Lively was 'so close and comfortable' with him and would 'freely breastfed in front of him during meetings.'
Baldoni also accused Reynolds, 48, of becoming aggressive at the 'hands-on' meeting and insisted that he 'apologis[e] for things he had not done' to Lively.
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