Court dismisses Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against Baldoni
What's the story
A federal judge has dismissed 10 of the 13 claims made by actor Blake Lively against director-actor Justin Baldoni. The court ruling on Thursday rejected allegations including sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy, as per Page Six. However, three of her claims, breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation, will proceed to trial, set for May 18.
Legal details
Legal team's clarification on the ruling
A member of Lively's legal team told Page Six that the dismissal of the sexual harassment claim was due to a technicality. The court ruled that Lively was an "independent contractor," not an employee. The statement emphasized that they 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."
Statement
Lively looks forward to testifying at trial
The statement from Lively's legal team further read, "For Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they've targeted." "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."
Defense response
Baldoni's legal team's response
Baldoni's legal team expressed satisfaction over the court's decision to dismiss all sexual harassment claims and those against individual defendants. Their statement read, "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."
Legal battle
Allegations made by Lively against Baldoni
Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni for sexual harassment during their collaboration on It Ends With Us. She claimed to have suffered at least $161 million in lost earnings and damages due to an alleged smear campaign against her when the film was released. In response, Baldoni denied the allegations and sued her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million, but the lawsuit was dismissed in June 2025.
Allegations
Details of the sexual harassment claims
In her lawsuit, Lively detailed several instances of Baldoni allegedly sexually harassing her on the set of It Ends With Us. One such incident involved Baldoni allegedly dragging his lips from her ear down her neck while saying, "It smells so good." When Lively later objected to this behavior, Baldoni reportedly responded with, "I'm not even attracted to you."