After a federal judge ruled that only a narrowed portion of the case will proceed to trial, Blake Lively has seen most of her claims dismissed in a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
Blake Lively has seen most of her claims dismissed in a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, after a federal judge ruled that only a narrowed portion of the case will proceed to trial.
The actress, 38, brought the lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, 42, following their work on It Ends With Us, alleging sexual harassment, defamation and conspiracy. In a ruling issued on Thursday (02.04.26), Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of the 13 claims, including the sexual harassment allegation, while allowing three claims – breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation – to move forward.
The case is scheduled to go to trial on May 18.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, the sexual harassment claim was dismissed on the basis that Blake was classified as an independent contractor rather than an employee.
A member of Blake’s legal team said: “This case has always been and will remain focused on the devasting 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. 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.”
They added: “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.”
Representatives for Justin said: “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.”
Blake had previously alleged that she suffered at least $161million in lost earnings and damages due to an alleged smear campaign following the film’s release. Justin denied the claims and filed a $400million lawsuit against Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, which was dismissed in June 2025.
Justin’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said: “In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms. Lively’s claims. We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available.”
Court filings previously detailed an alleged incident during filming of a slow dance scene, which Justin has denied, with his legal team releasing behind-the-scenes footage to dispute the claim.
Blake Lively sees most of her claims dismissed in a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni dismissed
