A federal judge has ruled in favor of actor Blake Lively’s lawsuit against actor and director Justin Baldoni by dismissing her sexual harassment claims related to their 2024 romantic movie “It Ends With Us.” U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman’s decision, issued after a lengthy legal battle, focused on allegations made by Lively’s lawyer Esra Hudson during a court hearing earlier this year. Hudson argued that Baldoni had overstepped boundaries by adding inappropriate sexual content to the film, including a dance scene and a birthing scene where Lively felt pressured to wear revealing clothing.
Judge Liman determined that the alleged misconduct was directed towards Lively’s character in the film rather than towards Lively herself. He emphasized the importance of creative freedom for artists to experiment within the confines of an agreed-upon script without facing sexual harassment claims. However, Lively still has the opportunity to pursue claims of retaliation against Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, for their alleged actions following her complaints about on-set misconduct.
The case is set to proceed to trial on May 18, focusing on the remaining claims of retaliation and breach of contract against Wayfarer Studios and other entities associated with the film production. Lively’s legal team expressed her readiness to testify and highlight the alleged efforts to tarnish her reputation for speaking out against unsafe conditions on the movie set.
Baldoni’s legal representatives welcomed the dismissal of the sexual harassment claims and affirmed their readiness to defend against the remaining allegations. The ongoing legal saga has attracted significant attention in Hollywood, drawing involvement from notable figures like Taylor Swift, Gigi Hadid, and Hugh Jackman, who may have relevant information supporting Lively’s claims. Despite the legal battles, the movie “It Ends With Us,” featuring Lively and Baldoni, achieved commercial success, grossing over $351 million globally, as reported by Box Office Mojo.
