Blake Lively’s legal fight with her It Ends With Us co‑star and director Justin Baldoni has taken a major turn, as a New York judge has thrown out most of her claims. The case, which began in 2024, accused Baldoni of harassment on set and a smear campaign to damage her reputation, but now stands far weaker. With several serious allegations dismissed, the focus has shifted to a much narrower set of accusations, and the battle is set to move to a civil trial in May.
Blake Lively’s high‑profile lawsuit against Justin Baldoni has been sharply scaled back after a federal judge in New York dismissed the bulk of her claims, including all of her sexual harassment allegations.The legal battle began in December 2024, when Lively sued Baldoni, the director and co‑star of their film It Ends With Us, accusing him of harassment on set and of leading a campaign to hurt her reputation.
In a 152‑page ruling issued on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman tossed out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims, including harassment, defamation, and conspiracy, leaving only three issues for trial. Those remaining claims centre on breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation, which will now go before a civil jury in New York on May 18.
Lively’s legal team, including lawyer Sigrid McCawley, said the case will now focus on whether she was targeted in a retaliatory smear campaign after she raised concerns about her on‑set treatment. They argue that Baldoni, his company Wayfarer Studios, and their publicists worked with friendly journalists and used social media to shape negative narratives about her.
Baldoni’s lawyers, Alexandria Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, welcomed the judge’s decision, saying they were “very pleased” that all sexual harassment claims and every claim against the individual defendants were dismissed. They described Lively’s allegations about on‑set behaviour as minor grievances and say the case was partly an attempt to gain control over the film and frame Baldoni as a villain. Earlier, the two sides had even attended a mediation session with a magistrate judge, but it failed to produce a settlement, leaving the narrowed case to fight it out in court.
