The Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni legal battle has taken a dramatic new turn, as the actress is now taking back some of her allegations.
In her original filing against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, Lively accused Baldoni of causing her “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration, and mental anguish”.
But in a surprising legal twist on June 2, 2025, the Gossip Girl alum filed a request to withdraw and dismiss her claims of both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
This move comes shortly after Baldoni’s legal team submitted a letter to Judge Lewis J. Liman in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, requesting that Lively be compelled to identify her medical and mental health providers.
They also pushed for her to sign a HIPAA release, granting access to her therapy notes and relevant medical records in order to defend Justin against her claim.
Justin’s Legal Team Slams Blake’s Sudden Withdrawal Request
In their filing, Baldoni’s legal team pushed back against The Age Of Adaline star’s attempt to drop her emotional distress claims. In the legal document, they argued,
“Instead of complying… Ms. Lively is only willing to withdraw her claims without prejudice. In other words, Ms. Lively wants to simultaneously: (a) refuse to disclose the information and documents needed to disprove that she suffered any emotional distress… and (b) maintain the right to re-file her IED Claims at an unknown time in this or some other court after the discovery window has closed”.
However, in a pointed response to Baldoni’s latest filing, Blake’s attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb explained the reasons behind withdrawing the claims. They shared,
“The Baldoni-Wayfarer strategy of filing retaliatory claims has exposed them to expansive new damages… 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…”
The court must now decide whether to force Lively to hand over her mental health records, something she’s tried to avoid, or dismiss the two claims, either with or without prejudice.
The heated feud first began in December 2024, when the actress filed a lawsuit against Justin, his production company, and several others involved in the 2024 film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us.
She accused them of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign to tarnish her reputation.
In January 2025, Baldoni firmly denied the allegations and fired back with a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and others, including their publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging civil extortion and defamation.
The case remains ongoing, with no final ruling yet. The trial is scheduled for March 9, 2026.
Fans Accuse Blake Of “Lying” After Dropping Emotional Distress Claims
The internet wasn’t buying Lively’s sudden decision to drop the claims against Justin. Many fans slammed the actress for seemingly retreating from accusations she once pushed hard, calling it a desperate attempt to avoid losing the case. Some such comments online read,
“Oh so, she’s basically admitting it wasn’t true”.
“What a waste of time and distress for Justin and his family. Why would you drop the case if the claim was true?”
“What about Justin’s emotional distress Blake!?! For god’s sake!”
“Nope nope nope – you don’t drop if you were harassed”.
“TIME FOR AN APOLOGY 👏👏👏HE SO GREATLY DESERVES…. !🙌👏👏 Chop chop Blake”.
“Well when you don’t have any evidence to back up your made up claim, that’s a reasonable thing to do”.
“The damage is done to this man and his family!!! Shame on you Blake”.
“How about Blake/Fake Lively, you actually put your attention to the actual victims out there! No one trusts you & your undocumented claims..“
“Drop the whole thing why don’t u? It’s just embarrassing. LETS WRAP IT UP BLAKE”.
“It’s because she is LYING!! I would never look at Blake the same!!! Team Justin!”
The courtroom drama is far from over, but for many fans, Blake Lively’s credibility is already under fire. One thing’s clear: the public isn’t letting this go anytime soon.