A federal judge on Thursday dismissed 10 of Blake Lively’s 13 claims against “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni, significantly narrowing the sexual harassment lawsuit she filed against him in late 2024.
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman issued a 152-page ruling tossing claims of harassment, defamation and conspiracy, among others. He allowed three claims — breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation — to proceed to trial, which is currently scheduled to begin in May.
Ms. Lively’s lawyers had argued that she was “kissed, nuzzled and touched” without her consent on set, and that Mr. Baldoni was “consistently inappropriate” and crossed “boundaries” during production. She also accused Mr. Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against her after she complained about the alleged on-set misconduct.
Judge Liman ruled that Ms. Lively could not bring a sexual harassment claim under federal law because she was classified as an independent contractor. He also found she could not file a harassment claim under California law because filming took place in New Jersey, according to Variety.
The judge did allow two retaliation claims to go before a jury, finding that Ms. Lively’s allegation that Mr. Baldoni hired publicists to seed and amplify negative stories about her online warranted further examination.
Mr. Baldoni’s legal team has maintained that Ms. Lively used inflated charges of misconduct to seize creative control of the film before portraying him as a villain. His attorneys characterized her on-set complaints as amounting to little more than minor grievances.
Ms. Lively initially filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department on Dec. 20, 2024, before filing a federal civil lawsuit against him on Dec. 31, 2024. In late February, she filed an amended complaint naming Mr. Baldoni’s company, its chief executive and other defendants. Mr. Baldoni filed a countersuit seeking $400 million, though a federal judge tossed that case.
Ms. Lively has claimed she lost $161 million as a result of the alleged smear campaign, a figure Mr. Baldoni’s lawyers have denied.
The pair attended a court-supervised mediation session in February but failed to reach a settlement. Representatives for both sides did not immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
“It Ends With Us,” adapted from the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name, grossed $350 million worldwide in 2024. The film stars Ms. Lively as a flower shop owner whose husband, a neurosurgeon played by Mr. Baldoni, subjects her to physical and emotional abuse. The case has drawn in several high-profile names, including Taylor Swift, whose lawyers have sought to keep her out of the litigation. A hearing over Zoom was scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m. ET, with the trial set to begin May 18.
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