Blake Lively Drops IG Statement After Judge Dismissed Most Of Her Claims Against Justin Baldoni

Blake Lively has released a statement expressing her gratitude after a judge dismissed 10 out of 13 claims in her lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.

The update comes ahead of Lively’s trial next month, with the court ruling on which claims will be presented to the jury. Despite the majority of her allegations being dismissed, Lively said she was “grateful” that the “heart of [her] case” will be presented in the trial.

“I’m grateful for the Court’s ruling which allows the heart of my case to be presented to a jury next month, and for the ability to finally tell my story in full at trial,” the actress wrote in a lengthy social media post earlier this morning.

The claims that will make it to trial in the case, per the judge’s ruling, centre mostly on Baldoni’s alleged orchestration of a smear campaign in retaliation against Lively after she raised concerns on the set of It Ends With Us, as well as the aiding and abetting of that alleged campaign. 

A third claim, relating to a breach of contract, was also permitted by the courts, but the remaining seven allegations first levelled by Lively in the original suit — including those around sexual harassment, defamation and conspiracy — were dismissed by the judge.

It sets the scene for a trial that will decide whether Lively was retaliated against for speaking out on the conditions of the It Ends With Us set, and whether Baldoni and his team carried out a reputation-damaging campaign in response.

Lively took this new focus of the suit as a win, saying in her statement that it represents “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 added.

She also urged people to avoid the media circus that has ensued around It Ends With Us, saying it is the crux of her allegations about Baldoni and his team’s “digital violence” against her. “Don’t be distracted by the digital soap opera,” Lively 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. The physical pain from digital violence is very real. It is abuse. And it’s everywhere,” Lively said.

The actress ended her message with a vow to supporters, saying she has the “privilege to be able to stand up” and promising to “never stop doing my part in fighting to expose the systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence and retaliate against victims”. 

For his part, Baldoni’s team also took the judge’s dismissals, particularly around the sexual harassment claims, as a win. “We’re very pleased the Court dismissed all sexual harassment claims,” the actor’s attorneys told the Daily Mail.

“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,” they added.

Baldoni’s camp claimed the court’s decision about permitted claims leaves Lively with a “significantly narrowed case”, but Lively’s legal team were quick to clarify that the sexual harassment allegations were dismissed on a technicality, not because they didn’t happen. 

“[The sexual harassment claims] aren’t going forward not because the defendants did nothing wrong, but because the court determined Blake Lively was an independent contractor, not an employee,” Lively’s lawyers said, per The Guardian.

They went on to reiterate Lively’s sentiment about the meat of her case — being “the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy [her] reputation” — making it to trial. 

It all stems from various concerns Lively allegedly raised on the set of It Ends With Us, which included claims Baldoni sexually harassed her in the form of unwanted kissing and unauthorised access to her trailer. 

Baldoni’s alleged retaliation after Lively voiced these claims is now the bulk of the trial, which is expected to take place on May 18 in Manhattan federal court.

Lead images: Getty and Instagram