### Judge Orders Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni to Reach Agreement in Emotional Distress Case

The ongoing legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni took another twist on Tuesday when a federal judge refused to allow Lively to drop her emotional distress claims without conditions. Instead, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman instructed both parties to negotiate an agreement.

The dispute between the "It Ends With Us" co-stars, which has been ongoing for months, centers around allegations made by Lively in December, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation on the film set. Baldoni's lawyers have denied these claims. Recently, Baldoni's legal team requested access to Lively's medical and mental health records to counter her claims of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

In an attempt to sidestep the release of her medical records, Lively proposed dropping her emotional distress claims. However, she sought to do so "without prejudice," meaning she could refile them later if necessary. Baldoni’s lawyers objected, pushing for a "dismissal with prejudice" to ensure the claims could not be refiled.

Judge Liman denied both motions, stating that Lively can file a formal motion for dismissal without prejudice or come to an agreement with Baldoni's team. He added that if the claims are not dismissed, Lively will be barred from presenting any evidence of emotional distress during the trial.

Lively’s legal representatives, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, argued that the emotional distress claims have become redundant as they will pursue damages for emotional distress through other claims in the lawsuit, including those for sexual harassment and retaliation.

Baldoni's lawyers have yet to respond to requests for comment. In their filings, they argued that Lively cannot navigate around providing her medical records while keeping her emotional distress claims alive. They insist that if she does not agree to a dismissal with prejudice, she must comply with their requests for medical records.

Lively’s legal team described Baldoni's recent legal moves as a "public relations stunt," accusing his team of rushing to file motions to manipulate media coverage. They argued that the request for medical records is now moot, given Lively’s intention to drop the emotional distress claims.

Judge Liman’s ruling has now put additional pressure on Lively to formally dismiss her claims, as failure to do so would preclude her from presenting evidence of emotional distress. The judge also denied Baldoni's motion to compel the release of Lively’s medical records.

The case, already filled with sensational allegations and public disputes, is set to go to trial in March, promising more developments in this high-profile Hollywood legal saga.