A federal judge has dismissed the bulk of Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, throwing out ten of her thirteen allegations, including the central allegation of sexual harassment, but ruling that her allegations of retaliation will go before a jury at a trial scheduled for May 18.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman issued the ruling Thursday, significantly narrowing the case that has played out in public and in the courts for over a year.
The remaining claims are for alleged breach of contract, retaliation by Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer and aid in retaliation by the PR firm he hired.
The sexual harassment claim was dismissed on legal grounds, the judge finding that it lacked the substantial connection to California required under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act and that Lively did not qualify under federal civil rights law because she was an independent contractor rather than an employee.
“Ultimately, Lively fails to confront what is the central dilemma of her claim,” Liman wrote.
However, the court was far from dismissive of what happened in the wake of these allegations.
Liman wrote that “certain conduct at least arguably crossed the line,” noting that there are limits to how a person accused of harassment can respond.
“There comes a point at which the accused ceases to defend himself and begins to intervene, which a reasonable jury might regard as retaliation for the fact that the prosecutor had the courage to make the allegations.”
The judge also found “some direct evidence that the plan to destroy Lively and her career was put into action.”
Among the details that will now go before a jury: bullet points in Baldoni’s public relations campaign claiming that Lively had a bad reputation in the industry “spanning decades” and that production staff lost jobs because of her alleged takeover of the film.
Crisis communications specialist Melissa Nathan was quoted in court documents as saying she could not send certain materials “that could get us in a lot of trouble” and adding, “You know, we can bury anybody.”
Wayfarer founder Steve Sarowitz was quoted as saying, “There will be two dead bodies when I’m done.” The court also noted that Baldoni asked her public relations team to disseminate a video that portrayed Lively as insensitive to survivors of domestic violence.
Lively’s attorney Sigrid McCawley said the case “has always been and will remain focused on the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively’s reputation for standing up for safety on set.”
She added that Lively “looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation.”
Baldoni’s lawyers emphasized the significance of the firings, saying what remained was “a significantly narrowed case.”
All claims against Baldoni personally, along with those against Wayfarer founder Sarowitz and PR specialist Nathan, were dismissed.
The legal battle has been bruising on all sides.
Baldoni countersued Lively in January 2025, accusing her of extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy, but it was dismissed after his legal team missed a filing deadline.
New York Times was also involved in the dispute.
Other cast members were also implicated, with Isabela Ferrer claiming in court documents that Baldoni’s team acted “inappropriately” after she was subpoenaed, and text messages released in court showing Jenny Slate calling Baldoni “the biggest clown.”
Book writer Colleen Hoover, whose novel inspired the film, summed up the strain of the whole affair.
“It feels like a circus,” she shared Elle. “Now it gives us PTSD to think about it.”
