A federal judge on Thursday dismissed most claims in Blake Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against her “It Ends With Us” director and co-star Justin Baldoni, according to a court ruling.
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In a 152-page ruling, Judge Lewis J. Liman tossed out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni, including harassment, defamation and conspiracy. But the judge allowed three other claims to proceed to a trial scheduled to begin in May: breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation.
Lively’s lawyers said their client was “kissed, nuzzled and touched” without her consent. Baldoni was “consistently inappropriate” and crossed “boundaries” on set, Lively’s lawyers argued.
Lively also accused Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company of orchestrating a punitive “smear campaign” after she spoke out about the allegedly toxic work environment he created on the set of the movie, released in 2024.
In a January court hearing, one of Baldoni’s attorneys argued that Lively knew “It Ends With Us” would feature “hot and sexy scenes” when she signed on, suggesting that the allegations of harassment were part of the creative process behind the movie.
“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of a novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, stars Lively as a flower shop owner whose husband, a neurosurgeon played by Baldoni, subjects her to physical and emotional abuse.
The case has reverberated across the entertainment industry, exposing private texts between A-listers and subjecting both sides in the legal battle to the broader culture war around sexual harassment.
Representatives for the two actors did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the judge’s ruling.
Lively initially filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department on Dec. 20, 2024, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation. She then filed a federal civil lawsuit against him on Dec. 31, 2024.
In late February, she filed an amended complaint against him as well as his company, the firm’s chief executive and other defendants. He filed a countersuit against her seeking $400 million, though a federal judge tossed that case.
Lively’s amended complaint, which sought compensatory and punitive damages, alleged that there was a “multi-tiered plan” by Baldoni and his team to wreck her reputation.
Lively claimed that she lost $161 million due to a smear campaign that Baldoni’s team orchestrated — an allegation his lawyers have denied.
In an early February hearing, Lively and Baldoni were “unsuccessful in reaching any kind of resolution” during a court-ordered settlement conference, Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman said at the time.
