Actress Blake Lively said she is prepared to continue with an ongoing legal dispute after a federal judge dismissed most of the claims she brought against her “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni.
In a social media statement, the 38-year-old thanked the court system for allowing her case to be presented to a jury in a trial next month, while “finally” being able to tell her story in full.
“The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit,” she wrote in a now deleted Instagram story on April 3. “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.”
“I hope the Court’s decision shows others that, as unfathomably painful as it is, you can speak up.”
Lively claimed Baldoni orchestrated a public smear campaign to damage her reputation after she came forward with the allegations.
Her comments came one day after New York District Judge Lewis Liman tossed 10 of 13 claims she made against Baldoni over conduct on the set of their 2024 film “It Ends With Us.”
“Don’t be distracted by the digital soap opera,” she wrote. “The constant packaging of this lawsuit as a ‘celebrity drama’ is not only irresponsible, but it is by design: to keep you from seeing yourselves in my story.”
In December 2024, Lively filed a complaint accusing Baldoni, who also directed and produced the movie, of sexual harassment along with defamation and conspiracy in an effort to “destroy” her public image.
“The physical pain from digital violence is very real,” she continued. “It is abuse. And it’s everywhere. Not just in the news, but in your communities and schools.”
On April 2, Judge Liman found that under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Lively is viewed as an independent contractor, not an employee and was not entitled to bring forward sexual harassment claims. The law bans discriminatory practices based on gender, race, or religion.
“I will never stop doing my part in fighting to expose the systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence and retaliate against victims,” she concluded. “I know its a privilege to be able to stand up. I will not waste it. Your support keeps me going.”
Three of Lively’s claims of breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting retaliation were left intact and will be heard before a jury during the trial, slated to begin on May 18.
In a separate statement also shared through Lively’s Instagram story, her attorney, Mike Gottlieb, emphasized that the court’s decision “provided evidence to go to trial on her core claims” which was speaking out “against what she believed was sexual harassment on the set” and the harm she suffered as a result.
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