A judge has thrown out Blake Lively‘s sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni, gutting her headline-grabbing lawsuit that followed the release of the domestic violence film “It Ends With Us.”
In a ruling issued Thursday, Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s lawsuit, including claims of harassment, defamation and conspiracy. He allowed three claims to proceed to a trial, including claims of breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation.
The two sides did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Lively, the female lead, accused Baldoni, the director and co-star, of sexually harassing her on set by making unwelcome comments about her appearance and weight.
Liman ruled that Lively 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 Baldoni hired an army of publicists to retaliate against her by seeding and amplifying negative stories online. The judge ruled that two retaliation charges deserved to go to a jury.
Baldoni and his lawyers argued that Lively used exaggerated charges of misconduct to seize control of the film and then to cast Baldoni as a villain. Baldoni’s team argued that Lively’s allegations about on-set behavior amounted to nothing more than “minor grievances,” and that he had a right to defend himself from what he saw a false allegations.
“It Ends With Us” grossed $350 million worldwide, making it a remarkable hit in 2024. But the film’s release was shadowed by persistent rumors of a rift between the two leads, which has led to more than a year of messy litigation.
“It’s all a fucking disaster,” wrote Tom Rothman, film chair at Sony Pictures Entertainment, in an August 2024 email summing up the situation. “None of the who is right or wrong matters at all. The mess is the story now and will define the film. No one can watch the film in the same way. Tragic.”
A trial is due to take place in May. Baldoni and Lively attended a mediation session with a magistrate judge in February, but that did not result in a settlement.
The fight has involved several high-profile names, most notably Taylor Swift, whose lawyers have sought to keep her out of it. In a text message to Lively in the fall of 2024, Swift referred disparagingly to Baldoni, saying “I think this bitch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin.”
Lively also messaged Swift that Baldoni was a “clown,” and a “doofus director.”
