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 in their high-profile It Ends With Us case, leaving only three claims—breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding in retaliation—for trial on May 18. Judge Lewis Liman ruled Lively was an independent contractor and thus ineligible to sue under Title VII, noting her allegations occurred during intimate scenes for a domestic violence film. While Lively accused Baldoni of inappropriate physical contact and comments, the judge determined much of the behavior was part of acting improvisation. Baldoni’s legal team denied wrongdoing, calling the defendants ‘very good people.’ The case has exposed leaked messages between Lively and Taylor Swift, revealing tensions over script rewrites and Baldoni’s conduct. Both parties’ legal strategies and the film’s box office success—over $350 million—have overshadowed the story, with critics noting the prolonged litigation harms both celebrities’ reputations. The trial will focus on whether Baldoni orchestrated a retaliatory campaign against Lively after filming.
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Key details reported by multiple sources:
- Federal judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of Blake Lively’s 13 claims against Justin Baldoni in a ruling on 18 April 2024
- The surviving claims are breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation, with a trial scheduled for 18 May 2024
- Judge Liman ruled Lively was an independent contractor (not an employee) and thus could not bring sexual harassment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
- Lively alleged Baldoni kissed her forehead, rubbed his face against her neck, and made comments like ‘it smells good’ during filming of It Ends With Us
- Baldoni’s lawyers stated the defendants were ‘very good people’ and denied sexual harassment claims in statements to AP and TMZ
- It Ends With Us grossed over $350 million worldwide and was released in August 2024
- Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation claim against Lively and Ryan Reynolds in June 2024
- Lively’s lawyers claimed Baldoni retaliated by sharing negative stories about her online after filming
- The case involves leaked text messages between Lively and Taylor Swift discussing Baldoni’s behavior and script rewrites
Points of Difference
Details reported by only one source:
- Lively’s lawyers described Baldoni as ‘consistently inappropriate’ with her, including unwanted comments about her appearance and weight
- Lively’s text messages to Taylor Swift called Baldoni the ‘doofus director of my movie’ and asked for script rewrite feedback
- Swift allegedly replied ‘I’ll do anything for you!’ to Lively’s request
- Matthew Belloni (former entertainment lawyer) stated the case ‘hurts both of them’ due to prolonged litigation and mudslinging
- Lively’s emotional distress claims were dismissed in June 2024 by Judge Liman
- Lively’s attorney Mike Gottlieb called the dismissal of harassment claims a ‘legal technicality’ rather than an endorsement of Baldoni’s conduct
- Judge Liman noted Baldoni allegedly said ‘pretty hot’ after asking Lively to remove her jacket, exposing a lace bra
- Baldoni allegedly rolled his eyes and replied ‘Sorry, I missed the sexual harassment training’ after being warned about the comment
- The judge cited a scene where Baldoni pushed for a naked birth scene filmed without set closure, and Baldoni allegedly volunteered he had been addicted to pornography
- Lively allegedly said she had never seen pornography, and Baldoni later announced this to others on set
- Judge Liman stated Baldoni’s conduct ‘may be fair grounds for discussion’ but could have crossed lines by sharing Lively’s pornography claim publicly
- Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios countersued Lively and Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion, which was dismissed in June 2024
Contradictions
Conflicting information between sources:
- The Guardian reports Lively’s emotional distress claims were dismissed in June 2024, but ABC does not mention this specific dismissal date or detail
- The Guardian states Lively’s text messages to Swift were ‘unsealed,’ while ABC does not specify whether these were publicly disclosed or leaked
- The Guardian highlights Lively’s claims of Baldoni’s ‘kissing, nuzzling, and touching’ without consent, but ABC frames these as ‘acting in the scene’ without emphasizing Lively’s explicit allegations of non-consensual behavior
- The Guardian quotes Lively’s lawyers calling Baldoni’s legal team’s exoneration based on technicalities as ‘telling you everything you need to know,’ while ABC does not include this direct quote or commentary
- ABC details Baldoni’s alleged ‘pretty hot’ comment and ‘sexual harassment training’ joke, but the Guardian does not mention these specific incidents
Source Articles
Judge dismisses Lively's sexual harassment claims against Baldoni
A US federal court judge tosses out Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, but leaves three more claims intact.
Federal judge throws out most of Blake Lively’s claims against Justin Baldoni
Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni, including claim of sexual harassment Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox A federal judge has thrown out the majority of Blake Lively ’s claims against Justin Baldoni. In a court ruling on Thursday, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s lawsuit against her co-star and director of the domestic violence film It Ends With Us . Continue reading...
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer says defendants are ‘very good people’ as Blake Lively lawsuit narrows
Judge threw out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against her It Ends With Us director and co-star on Thursday as trial nears Justin Baldoni’s lawyers have responded after most of Blake Lively ’s claims against the director were dismissed by a federal judge on Thursday. Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of the 13 claims that Lively had made against Baldoni and others, including allegations of sexual harassment, conspiracy and defamation. Continue reading...