Overview
- U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in Manhattan issued a written decision Thursday that threw out 10 of 13 claims, including sexual-harassment allegations.
- Three counts remain: breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding retaliation, with a jury trial set for May 18 in New York.
- The judge said some alleged conduct occurred “in the scene” during filming and that Lively worked as an independent contractor, which blocked employee-only statutes like Title VII.
- He also ruled the Actor Loanout Agreement and a Contract Rider were never validly formed, removing key contract hooks Lively had cited.
- Magistrate Judge Sarah Cave scheduled separate, confidential settlement-preparation calls for Monday as the case moves toward trial.