Blake Lively’s Sex Harassment Suit Against Co-Star Justin Baldoni Gutted by Judge

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.”

via: People

On Thursday, April 2 a federal judge in the Southern District of New York ruled on Baldoni’s bid to end the case before it goes to trial.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed the majority of Lively’s claims, including harassment, defamation and conspiracy, while allowing a narrower set of allegations, including breach of contract and two retaliation-related claims, to move forward to trial.

Judge Liman wrote that certain claims could not proceed as a matter of law — including those dependent on Lively being classified as an employee — while others, particularly her retaliation-related allegations, were sufficiently supported to continue.

The ruling dismisses some claims, including Lively’s Title VII retaliation claim and California Labor Code retaliation claim, as well as certain claims against individual defendants. It allows others — including her one retaliation claim against Wayfarer and related entities — to proceed. The case remains on track for trial on May 18.

In December 2024, Lively, 38, filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, 42, producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios, its co-founder Steve Sarowitz, publicist Jennifer Abel, and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan. She alleges Baldoni subjected her to sexual harassment and that he and the other defendants orchestrated a retaliatory smear campaign “to destroy” her reputation in connection with It Ends With Us.

She is seeking more than $160 million in damages. Baldoni has denied the claims.

Baldoni later filed a $400 million countersuit against the Gossip Girl actress, her husband Ryan Reynolds,49, , publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm, alleging defamation and breach of contract, the case was dismissed by Judge Liman in June 2025.

The latest ruling follows a court-mandated settlement conference on Feb. 11 that ended without an agreement.

During a Jan. 22 hearing on the motion, attorneys for both sides presented sharply different accounts of what happened on set.

He argued that Lively failed to meet the legal standard required to prove harassment, at one point calling the allegations “small potatoes.” Liman responded, “A whole bunch of little things can add up to a big thing.”

Baldoni’s attorney, Jonathan Bach, argued the dispute stemmed from creative disagreements, not unlawful conduct. “This is a case about making a movie, one with highly charged romantic and sexual themes,” Bach told the court, noting that an intimacy coordinator was available and that the source material included sexual content.

Lively’s attorney, Esra Hudson, countered that Baldoni’s conduct was “consistently inappropriate and crossing boundaries,” alleging he introduced sexualized material not in the script, including a birth scene and a dance sequence in which he allegedly “nuzzled” Lively.

“She did not think this should be a hot and sexy movie at all,” Hudson said.

Hudson also argued that Lively faced retaliation after raising concerns, including when she declined to appear in photographs with Baldoni. “She said she did not want pictures with him. That was protected conduct,” Hudson told the court.