The trial between It Ends with Us star Blake Lively and director/co-star Justin Baldoni won’t actually start until March 2026, but there is some news well ahead of that. While Lively (and her husband Ryan Reyolds, who is heavily involved in the case) would from a distance look to have the upper hand even if by just sheer star power, Baldoni has found himself with a minor victory. A judge has ruled that Lively’s claims of intentional emotional distress cannot be brought to trial, a decision that leans in the favor of Baldoni.
As stated by the presiding judge, “Lively’s request that ‘because the parties have agreed to dismiss Ms. Lively’s tenth and eleventh causes of action… the Court exercise its inherent authority and authority under Rule 15 to dismiss them without prejudice’ is denied without prejudice to renewal…The parties shall stipulate to whether the dismissal is with or without prejudice, or Lively shall renew her request by formal motion.” That’s a lot of legal chatter but it basically means that Lively can no longer claim that Baldoni purposely laid emotional distress on the actress.
There was a push from Baldoni’s side to access Lively’s medical records, as they felt they were directly related to the so-called distress. In a statement issued by Lively’s lawyers, they wrote, in part, “Ms. Lively has offered to dismiss those claims because they are no longer necessary, and she will continue to pursue emotional distress damages through other claims in her lawsuit, including sexual harassment and retaliation.”
In their own statement, the team of Baldoni – who co-founded Wayfarer Studios – said, in part, “Ms. Lively wants to simultaneously: (a) refuse to disclose the information and documents needed to disprove that she suffered any emotional distress and/or that the Wayfarer Parties were the cause; 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.”
There is still a lot to explore in the case of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, but right now this is undoubtedly a positive for Baldoni, who officially launched a $400 million defamation suit earlier this year. Many are divided, with some calling Lively an elitist and Baldoni an opportunist. Whatever side you take, it’s likely we’ll be getting a lot more information related to the lawsuit and trial in the months leading up to it.
