Actor Blake Lively’s legal battle against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni has hit a crucial setback. A judge has dismissed the bulk of her claims, including allegations of sexual harassment and defamation, marking a significant development in the ongoing dispute.
Judge dismisses most of Blake Lively’s claims
In a ruling issued Thursday, Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of the 13 claims in Blake Lively’s lawsuit, including claims of harassment, defamation, and conspiracy.
However, he allowed three claims to proceed to a trial, including claims of breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation. They will now go to a civil trial in New York on May 18.
The legal battle began in 2024 when Blake sued Justin, accusing him of harassment and a smear campaign on the set of their hit movie. He denied it and counter-sued. Blake accused Justin, the director and co-star, of sexually harassing her on the set of the film by making comments about her appearance and weight.
On Thursday, Liman ruled that Blake could not bring a sexual harassment claim under federal law because she was an independent contractor. He also ruled that she could not file a harassment claim under California law because the filming took place in New Jersey.
She also alleged that Justin hired an army of publicists to retaliate against her by seeding and amplifying negative stories online. The judge ruled that two retaliation claims deserved to go to a jury.
“We’re very pleased the Court dismissed all sexual harassment claims and every claim brought against the individual defendants,” said attorneys Alexandria Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, who represent Justin, Wayfarer Studios, and their publicists.
“These were very serious allegations, and we are grateful to the court for its careful review of the facts, law, and voluminous evidence that was provided. What’s left is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court.”
As per Variety, Sigrid McCawley, a member of Blake’s legal team, mentioned that the jury will get the final word on whether Blake was the victim of a retaliatory smear campaign.
“This case has always been and will remain focused on the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively’s reputation because she stood up for safety on the set and that is the case that is going to trial,” Sigrid said, adding, “She looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight.”
More about the dispute
The case stems from interactions between Justin and Blake on the set of It Ends With Us. The film features Blake as the lead character, Lily Bloom, a young woman who grew up witnessing domestic abuse and finds herself in the same position years later.
Blake’s legal team has accused Justin and his film studio, Wayfarer, of planning to wreck her reputation, including by social media manipulation and using friendly journalists to sow certain narratives. She shared details of the allegations in a New York Times article published before her lawsuit.
Meanwhile, Justin and his lawyers argued that Blake used exaggerated charges of misconduct to seize control of the film and then to cast Justin as a villain. The team also argued that Blake’s allegations about on-set behaviour amounted to nothing more than “minor grievances”.
Justin and Blake attended a mediation session with a magistrate judge in February, but that did not result in a settlement.
