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On the June 4 episode of the Candace podcast, American commentator Candace Owens shared insights on Blake Lively's claims against Justin Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios.
For the unversed, the Gossip Girl alum filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, his PR manager Melissa Nathan, producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios, and its co-founder Steve Sarowitz. She accused Baldoni of sexual assault and plotting a smear campaign against her.
Meanwhile, in that episode of Candace, Owen jokingly asked the audience to take a shot of alcohol every time Lively used the words "suffer" or "mental anguish" in the lawsuit. She added that doing so could cause death due to the number of times the actress repeated the words.
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Candace Owens claimed that in the initial filing of the lawsuit, Lively used the word "suffer" 31 times in different variations, and explicitly used the word "emotional" 30 times and "distress" 18 times.
Owens further listed the 13 claims made by Lively and analyzed their language. She noted that the Gossip Girl alum used similar language for ten of the 13 claims, referring to her emotional and anguished state, excluding the 7th, 8th, and 9th claims. Candace further claimed that Lively asked the forthcoming jury members to grant her punitive damages for her emotional state.
However, Blake revisited the topics of emotional distress and suffering in the 10th and 11th claims. According to Owens, these claims are the most important since they have recently been withdrawn by Lively's team. The 10th cause of action claimed intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the 11th claimed negligent infliction of emotional distress.
About Blake Lively's attempt to withdraw claims against Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively had initially included the two emotional distress claims in her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, but on June 2, her team made a move to withdraw these claims. Her taking down the claims came after Baldoni’s legal team had compelled her to provide mental health and medical records, including therapy notes.
This was to justify her allegations of "severe emotional distress and pain, humiliation, embarrassment, belittlement, frustration, and mental anguish," as reported by The BBC.
In a statement to People Magazine, published on June 3, Blake Lively's attorney, Esra Hudson, and Michael Gottlieb stated that withdrawing the claims was a normal part of the legal process, adding:
"Once again, this is a routine part of the litigation process that is being used as a press stunt. We are doing what trial lawyers do: preparing our case for trial by streamlining and focusing it; they are doing what they do: desperately seeking another tired round of tabloid coverage."
The outlet noted that Baldoni’s team argued that Lively cannot "have it both ways" by withdrawing her claims without providing evidence. They further added that if Lively's team wanted to drop their "frivolous" claims, then the dismissal should be with prejudice.
"If Ms. Lively is unwilling to stipulate to the dismissal of her IED Claims with prejudice, then the Wayfarer Parties will continue to defend against them, and she must produce her medical information and documents as set forth herein," Baldoni's team added.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni are set to face each other on court in March 2026.
