Federal judge dismisses most of Blake Lively’s sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni in It Ends With Us case
Consensus Summary
A federal judge dismissed the majority of Blake Lively’s sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni, leaving only retaliation and breach of contract claims for a May 18 trial. The ruling hinged on Lively’s status as an independent contractor, which barred her from filing under Title VII, and the context of intimate scenes in the film It Ends With Us. Judge Lewis Liman acknowledged Lively’s allegations—including Baldoni’s comments and physical conduct—would qualify as harassment in other settings but noted they occurred during improvisation for a domestic abuse drama. Baldoni’s legal team celebrated the dismissal, calling the defendants ‘very good people,’ while Lively’s attorney criticized the ruling as a legal technicality. The case has exposed private exchanges between Lively and celebrities like Taylor Swift, highlighting the personal toll of the prolonged legal battle. Box office figures vary between sources, with ABC reporting $50 million and Guardian citing $350 million globally, but all agree the film’s release was overshadowed by the public feud.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- A federal judge in Manhattan (Lewis Liman) dismissed 10 of Blake Lively’s 13 claims against Justin Baldoni, including sexual harassment, conspiracy, and defamation, on April 2024
- Three claims remain: retaliation against It Ends With Us Movie LLC and Wayfarer Studios, breach of contract rider agreement, and retaliation against Baldoni
- Judge Liman ruled Lively was an independent contractor, not an employee, so her sexual harassment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act were invalid
- The trial is scheduled for May 18, 2024, in New York
- Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios countersued Lively and Ryan Reynolds in June 2023, alleging defamation and extortion, which was dismissed by Judge Liman
- It Ends With Us (2024) grossed $50 million (or $350 million globally) at the box office and was adapted from Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel
- Lively alleged Baldoni made comments like ‘pretty hot’ after asking her to remove her jacket, exposing a lace bra, and later rolled his eyes when told it was inappropriate
- Judge Liman cited a scene where Baldoni pushed for a naked birth scene filmed without set closure, and another where Baldoni allegedly shared Lively’s claim of never seeing pornography on set
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Judge Liman’s ruling included specific details of alleged conduct: Baldoni ‘leaned in and gestured as if intending to kiss her,’ ‘kissed her forehead,’ ‘rubbed his face and mouth against her neck,’ ‘put his thumb to her mouth and flicked her lower lip,’ ‘caressed her,’ and said ‘It smells good’
- Judge Liman noted Baldoni allegedly said ‘Sorry, I missed the sexual harassment training’ after being warned about inappropriate comments
- Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios’ countersuit against Lively and Reynolds was dismissed by Judge Liman in June 2023, not June 2024
- Lively’s lawsuit was filed in December 2023, not December 2024
- Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman called the defendants ‘very good people who have not engaged in this sexual harassment as alleged’ and claimed the ruling ‘confirms what the legal team believed from day one’
- Lively’s attorney Mike Gottlieb stated the court’s ruling was ‘about legal issues rather than an endorsement of the defendants’ conduct’ and criticized Freedman’s ‘exoneration based on legal technicalities’
- The Guardian reported Lively’s private messages to Taylor Swift, where she called Baldoni the ‘doofus director of my movie’ and asked for screenplay rewrite thoughts
- The Guardian noted the case has ‘lifted the lid on Lively’s private messages to other A-listers such as Taylor Swift and Ben Affleck’
- Former entertainment lawyer Matthew Belloni commented that the case ‘hurts both’ Lively and Baldoni due to prolonged litigation and mudslinging
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- ABC states the countersuit against Lively and Reynolds was dismissed in June 2023, but Guardian 1 does not specify the month of dismissal
- ABC reports Lively’s lawsuit was filed in December 2023, while Guardian 1 and Guardian 2 do not specify the exact month but imply it was earlier than the ruling date
- ABC states It Ends With Us grossed $50 million at the box office, while Guardian 2 states it grossed over $350 million globally
- Guardian 1 claims Judge Liman ruled Lively’s sexual harassment claims could not go to trial because she was an independent contractor and the conduct occurred in New Jersey, but ABC does not mention New Jersey as the location of the alleged conduct
- Guardian 1’s quote from Lively’s attorney Gottlieb suggests the court’s ruling was ‘about legal issues rather than an endorsement of the defendants’ conduct,’ while ABC does not include this specific framing
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