Actress Blake Lively has moved to withdraw two claims from her lawsuit against director Justin Baldoni.
The legal battle began in December 2024 when Lively sued Baldoni following their collaboration on the film It Ends With Us, alleging sexual harassment and a smear campaign.
Baldoni’s legal team requested Lively’s medical records, including therapy notes, to defend against her claims of “severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment,” according to Variety.
Lively seeks to dismiss claims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress, the publication reports.
The court will determine whether to dismiss these claims or compel Lively to provide her mental health information.
Variety contacted Baldoni’s lawyers, who declined to comment. The BBC has also reached out to both parties for comment.
Documents filed Monday by Baldoni’s legal team stated: “Instead of complying with the Medical RFPs [Request for Proposal], Ms. Lively’s counsel recently advised us, in writing, that Ms. Lively is withdrawing her [infliction of emotional distress] claims.”
They noted Lively refused a “with prejudice” withdrawal, leaving open the possibility of refiling.
Lively’s lawyers countered to Variety that Baldoni’s filing was “a press stunt,” asserting their strategy is to “streamline and focus” the case.
They added: “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. 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.”
In January, Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, alleging civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy.
The dispute stems from the release last summer of It Ends With Us, an adaptation of a Colleen Hoover novel.
Lively portrayed Lily Bloom, a woman who experiences domestic abuse.
Singer Taylor Swift was subpoenaed last month amid allegations she encouraged Baldoni to accept Lively’s script revisions.
Swift’s representatives stated she was uninvolved in casting or creative decisions and never reviewed or annotated the script. The subpoena was subsequently dropped after her legal team objected, citing an “unwarranted fishing expedition,” according to Variety.