Judge Narrows Blake Lively Case Against Justin Baldoni, Sends Retaliation Claims to Trial

Overview

• A federal judge in Manhattan dismissed 10 of 13 claims in a 152-page ruling, tossing sexual-harassment, defamation, and conspiracy counts while allowing breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding-and-abetting retaliation to go to a jury.
• The opinion cites August 2024 messages from a Baldoni press aide about “amplifying” a video that criticized Lively, which the judge said could indicate a coordinated effort to punish her after she raised on-set concerns.
• The remaining claims target Wayfarer Studios, the film’s production LLC, and The Agency Group PR, while individual claims against Baldoni were dismissed as his lawyers say he lawfully worked to protect his reputation.
• Lively and her legal team say the case now centers on severe online retaliation they link to Baldoni’s crisis team, and she says she plans to testify at trial.
• Judge Lewis J. Liman wrote that creative behavior during filming did not meet the legal bar for harassment and noted Lively’s status as an independent contractor, positioning the case as a test of how Hollywood manages allegations and reputation defense.