Overview
- U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in Manhattan on Thursday dismissed 10 of 13 claims, including sexual harassment, defamation and conspiracy, while allowing breach of contract, retaliation and aiding-and-abetting retaliation to proceed.
- The court found Lively was an independent contractor and that filming occurred in New Jersey, which blocked federal and California employment-based harassment claims.
- In a detailed opinion, the judge said some on‑set behavior took place in a creative scene context and did not meet a hostile‑environment standard, though certain actions could still inform the retaliation claims.
- The surviving claims name production and PR defendants rather than Baldoni personally, and jury selection is scheduled for May 18 in New York.
- Attorneys for Baldoni praised a “significantly narrowed” case, while Lively’s team said the trial will focus on an alleged coordinated smear campaign that the judge noted can inflict severe career harm in a reputation-driven industry.