Blake Lively faces legal setback as judge sides with Justin Baldoni in ‘It Ends With Us’ dispute

In a new twist to the escalating legal feud between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, a federal judge has ruled in Justin Baldoni’s favour, rejecting Blake Lively’s attempt to drop her emotional distress claims without prejudice. This decision, delivered by Judge Lewis J. Liman of the Southern District of New York, could shape the direction of the case as it approaches trial in March 2025, as per reports.

Justin Baldoni gets ruled in favor against Blake Lively

The lawsuit stems from the production of It Ends with Us, and includes multiple allegations Lively made against Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios. While she originally sought to include emotional distress claims, her legal team recently attempted to withdraw those allegations. However, the judge denied the move unless both parties agreed, stating that if not formally dismissed, Blake Lively would be barred from introducing any emotional distress-related evidence during the trial.

In his written order, Judge Liman clarified: “If the claims are not dismissed, the Court will preclude Blake from offering any evidence of emotional distress.” He also noted that while the request to withdraw was denied for now, Lively’s team could file a formal motion to revisit the issue later.

Blake’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, expressed disappointment with the court’s stance. They emphasised that Blake still intends to pursue emotional distress damages under other claims in her lawsuit, including those related to sexual harassment and retaliation. "Ms. Lively has offered to dismiss those claims because they are no longer necessary," they stated. They also accused Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer of engaging in retaliatory tactics and attempting to manipulate public perception.

The legal battle began in December 2024 when Bllake Lively filed a formal complaint alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. That filing was followed by a defamation and extortion lawsuit from Baldoni targeting Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their PR team.

Despite the film’s commercial success, rumors of behind-the-scenes tensions quickly gained attention. With high-profile names like Taylor Swift, Disney, and Marvel now connected to the case, and the trial set for March 9, 2025, in the same New York courthouse handling Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex-trafficking case, this legal drama is expected to intensify significantly.

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