Blake Lively Cannot Refile Emotional Distress Claims Against Justin Baldoni, Judge Rules
A federal judge has ruled that actress Blake Lively cannot refile her emotional distress claims against actor-director Justin Baldoni in the ongoing legal dispute stemming from the production of the film 'It Ends With Us,' according to court documents filed on Tuesday.
The decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, comes after Lively chose to drop the emotional distress claims from the case.
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2 hours ago
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‘Blake Lively Drops Lawsuit' Continues to Trend Despite Ongoing Case
has dropped two 'emotional distress' claims from her lawsuit against after his legal team sought access to her medical records. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the actress cannot present emotional distress evidence at trial, though she continues pursuing emotional distress damages through her remaining sexual harassment and retaliation claims. The strategic move has sparked confusion among observers, wondering if Blake Lively drops the lawsuit entirely. So, here's why netizens are searching 'Blake Lively drops lawsuit' online and the latest updates in her legal battle against Baldoni. Fans are searching whether Blake Lively has dropped her lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star after the recent developments in the case. Reports claim Justin Baldoni's legal team demanded to check her medical records, including 'therapy notes.' The medical records were required as Lively's original claims stated she suffered 'severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, (and) embarrassment' due to Baldoni's actions. Moreover, a Variety report alleges that Lively is trying to drop the 'emotional distress' claims. However, she maintains 13 other claims in the ongoing legal battle. A filing from the legal records further notes, '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.' Meanwhile, the Gossip Girl star's lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, called the filing 'a press stunt.' They stated, 'The Baldoni-Wayfarer strategy of filing retaliatory claims has exposed them to expansive new damages claims under California law.' Hence, it rendered certain of 'Ms. Lively's original claims' as 'no longer necessary.' Hudson and Gottlieb added, '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.' As per the report, the court can decide to compel the actress to turn over the information on her mental health. It could also 'dismiss' the two claims with or without prejudice. Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's lawsuit saga began in December 2024. The Age of Adaline star filed an official complaint accusing him of sexual harassment. Moreover, she claimed that Baldoni launched a campaign to 'destroy' her reputation. Originally reported by Arpita Adhya on The post 'Blake Lively Drops Lawsuit' Continues to Trend Despite Ongoing Case appeared first on Mandatory.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
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Social media giants ask judge to block Georgia age verification law
Social media companies have filed a federal lawsuit challenging a new Georgia law that would create new online age restrictions for minors. A June 3 hearing was held in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Georgia in downtown Atlanta. Jill Nolin/Georgia Recorder A federal judge heard arguments this week on a Georgia law aimed at restricting social media use for minors and requiring Georgians to confirm their age before viewing adult websites. Judge Amy Totenberg of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia announced at the Tuesday hearing that she will determine soon whether to hear more evidence regarding a lawsuit by a group called NetChoice to stop the law. NetChoice represents various internet-based services, including powerful businesses like Google and Meta, as well as smaller companies like online journal site Dreamwidth Studios. On the same day, a Florida judge blocked sections of a similar Florida law. Children under the age of 16 would need parental consent to open social media accounts under the new Georgia law, which is set to go into effect July 1. NetChoice filed a lawsuit in May seeking to prevent that from happening. The companies claim the rules violate young people's First Amendment rights, as well as place unnecessary burdens on social media companies. Attorneys also argued the revised rules strip away some of the flexibility of parents monitoring what online sites their children are accessing. Jeremy Maltz, an attorney representing NetChoice in the lawsuit, argued at Tuesday's court hearing that many people using online websites affected by the Georgia law would consider it an invasion of privacy if they had to use sensitive information to create an account. The plaintiffs argue that adults could face a burden if companies require them to potentially give companies driver licenses, banking or credit card information or use facial recognition software in order to access user-generated online sites. Data breaches and other cyber security threats could be increased by the new age guidelines, Maltz said. 'We know people are going to have to provide some sort of information to access protected speech,' he said. And despite the law exempting educational, public safety, and professional networking platforms, Martz said it would also create new verification hurdles even for innocuous sites such as college football and recipe message boards. 'This bill targets minors at the places where minors go to engage in free speech,' Maltz said. Republican state lawmakers push for Georgia law to require proof of adulthood to view adult websites Georgia lawmakers passed SB 351 in 2024 with bipartisan support. Logan Winkles, a state deputy attorney general, said that social media is designed to drive engagement and promote addiction, and the intent of legislators in passing the law was to protect children from adult bad actors online. 'Everyone agrees that social media poses some risk to children,' Winkles said. NetChoice successfully overturned similar laws in Arkansas and Ohio after arguing they unfairly censored free speech on online platforms. The bill requires social media companies to make commercially reasonable efforts to verify the age of their users, which can be done through methods including banking and credit card accounts, facial and fingerprint recognition software scanning. The Age Verification Providers Association, which supports third-party age verification businesses, reports that about a dozen states have passed laws restricting or requiring parents to consent to minors accessing social media. In several states, including Arkansas, California and Ohio, court orders have been issued to block the provisions of the law. As of May, the age verification group listed Georgia among the 24 states that have passed laws requiring age verification to access online pornography. Opponents say such laws could create privacy concerns and prevent people from accessing constitutionally protected speech. Winkles said at Tuesday's hearing that legislators and Gov. Brian Kemp backed the law to protect more kids and teens from social media sites that lead to higher rates of bullying and mental health problems such as depression and that technology can estimate a person's age without revealing their identity. 'What we know is there are many other ways to verify ID other than showing government ID,' Winkles said. But Totenberg questioned the verification processes. 'It doesn't seem very precise,' Totenberg said. 'It's a highly subjective standard and I'm not sure what it ultimately means.' The law allows parents and guardians to file complaints with the attorney general office if they believe a company isn't complying with age verification. Violations of the law may result in a fine of up to $2,500 per violation. On Tuesday, federal Judge Mark Walker of the northern district of Florida blocked sections of Florida's law banning children under 14 from having social media accounts and requiring parents' approval for teens as old as 16 while expressing concerns about social media's adverse effects on children. Georgia attorneys contend that the state's new social media rules stand up to legal scrutiny and differ from states like Florida, which limited companies' ability to control user-posted content. Right wing officials from several states have expressed concerns about social media companies blocking conservative viewpoints. John Acevedo, an Emory University constitutional law professor, pointed out that when it's pornography, there has been a legal history showing a legitimate interest in protecting children. 'Really, it's not controversial to put an age requirement in, but the controversy is the manner in which the age requirement is implemented,' he said Wednesday. 'Conversely, in social media there's a controversy over whether we should even limit social media at all to any age group.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Florida man sentenced to over four years for embezzling $5.8M from employer
BOSTON (WWLP) – A Florida man who served as a finance director has been sentenced to more than four years in federal prison for embezzling over $5.8 million from his employer, prosecutors announced Thursday. Ten arrested in multi-location drug bust in Holyoke Paul Schnitzer, 52, of Clermont, Fla., was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Boston to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Schnitzer was also ordered to pay $5,831,829 in restitution and forfeit assets he acquired through his scheme, including the balances of two financial accounts, subscription ownership shares in certain artwork, and up to $50,000 in cash held with luxury jeweler Bulgari. Federal prosecutors said Schnitzer carried out the fraud between January 2022 and May 2024 while working as the finance director of a Florida-based company owned by a Massachusetts investment firm. Over that period, he made more than 100 unauthorized transfers from the company's operating account into his personal bank account. Many of the transfers were falsely labeled as 'equity distributions,' according to court documents. To conceal the theft, Schnitzer used a company line of credit to replace stolen funds and further siphon money into his own account. Prosecutors said he also submitted falsified financial reports showing inflated cash balances to the company's owners and went so far as to spoof email addresses, posing as representatives from the company's bank and customers to mislead auditors. Schnitzer was initially released while awaiting trial, but was arrested again in June 2024 after he removed his court-ordered location monitoring device. He was later found to have used a company credit card to make more than $10,000 in unauthorized purchases in August 2024. Schnitzer pleaded guilty in the case earlier this year. WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
