Blake Lively released a lengthy statement Monday night addressing the latest developments in her legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni, days after a New York City judge tossed her sexual harassment, defamation and conspiracy claims against him.
The judge’s decision significantly reduced the scope of Lively’s case, in which more than a dozen claims were filed last December stemming from her time on the film set with Baldoni. Three claims remain: retaliation, breach of contract, and aiding and abetting.
In the statement shared on Instagram, Lively said she was pleased with the court’s ruling, “which allows the heart of my case to be presented to a jury.”
She said the decision serves as an opportunity to “finally tell my story in full at trial, for my own sake, but also for those who don’t have the same opportunity to.”
“The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit, but I brought this case because of the pervasive RETALIATION I faced, and continue to, for privately and professionally asking for a safe working environment for myself and others,” she continued.
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Lively went on to encourage other victims of “digital violence” to speak up, saying it happens everywhere, not just in celebrity culture, and that her experience had been “unfathomably painful.”
In his ruling, Judge Lewis J. Liman determined that Lively was an independent contractor rather than an employee and, on that basis, said she was not entitled to bring sexual harassment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, two of Baldoni’s lawyers, said they were “grateful” the sexual harassment claims had been dismissed.
“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,” they said.
“What’s left is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defence to the remaining claims in court.”
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In a statement on Friday, Lively’s lawyer Mike Gottlieb said, “The Court’s ruling that Ms. Lively’s state and federal harassment claims could not go to trial was about legal issues rather than an endorsement of the defendants’ conduct.”
“The court held that Ms. Lively’s sexual harassment claims could not go to a jury because Ms. Lively did not sign a contract, that she is an independent contractor instead of an employee, and that the offensive conduct occurred in New Jersey instead of California.”
Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni began in 2025 when she accused him of sexual harassment during the film’s production. She also alleged that Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Productions, retaliated after those allegations were made.
In a complaint preceding the original lawsuit, Lively alleged that Baldoni orchestrated a multi-tiered plan to “damage her reputation following a meeting in which she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, addressed “repeated sexual harassment and other disturbing behavior” by Baldoni and a producer on the movie.
The plan, the complaint said, included a proposal to plant theories on online message boards, engineer a social media campaign and place news stories critical of Lively.
Lively claimed she lost US$56.2 million in past and future earnings from acting, speaking engagements and endorsements as a result of the alleged smear campaign and also suffered $71 million in lost business profits from her haircare line, Blake Brown, and her beverage companies, Betty Buzz and Betty Booze.
Baldoni countersued Lively and Reynolds last year, alleging $400 million in damages for defamation and extortion. The judge dismissed Baldoni’s claims last June.
It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded box-office expectations with a $50-million debut.
Lively’s remaining allegations against Baldoni will be heard by a jury in a trial set for May 18.
— With files from The Associated Press
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