Blake Lively is not having a great day as her seemingly never-ending legal battle against Justin Baldoni was just dealt a very major blow. Judge Lewis Liman has thrown out 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s lawsuit, which includes her claims of harassment, defamation, and conspiracy. The judge found that Lively was not eligible to pursue a sexual harassment claim under federal law because she worked as an independent contractor. He also determined that a California harassment claim was not valid, since the production was filmed in New Jersey.
However, Liman has allowed three claims—breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation—to proceed to a trial. This isn’t over yet.
A Refresher
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni starred together in It Ends With Us, and during the production of the film, Lively accused him of sexual harassment. What followed was (and continues to be) a dirty legal battle with each side firing off lawsuits against the other. Baldoni filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation, extortion, and other complaints. It was later dismissed. Lively also alleged that Baldoni was behind the release of many negative stories about her through an army of publicists.
Lively and Baldoni’s Legal Teams Respond
Alexandria Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, the attorneys representing Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios, said, “We’re very pleased the Court dismissed all sexual harassment claims and every claim brought against the individual defendants. 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. What’s left is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court.“
The dismissal of many of Lively’s claims isn’t great for her, but her legal team seems to be reframing the case as one focusing on Baldoni’s alleged attempts to destroy her reputation.
Sigrid McCawley, a member of Lively’s legal team, said, “This 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 because she stood up for safety on the set and that is the case that is going to trial. For Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they’ve targeted. She looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight.“
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What’s Not Allowed