Ten of Blake Lively's 13 Claims Against Justin Baldoni Have Been Thrown Out. Here's What's Next for Their Trial
Ten of Blake Lively's 13 Claims Against Justin Baldoni Have Been Thrown Out. Here's What's Next for Their Trial
Jordana ComiterFri, April 3, 2026 at 5:26 PM UTC
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Blake Lively leaves federal court on Feb. 11, 2026, in New York; Justin Baldoni arrives at court on Feb. 12, 2026, in New York City.Credit: TIMOTHY A.CLARY / AFP via Getty; John Nacion/Getty -
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal saga began in December 2024
More than a year later, 10 of Lively's 13 claims against the actor were thrown out by a judge on April 2
Lively and Baldoni's teams have both said the former costars look forward to testifying at their May 2026 trial
The high-profile case between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni has reached a turning point.
The former It Ends with Us costars' legal saga began in December 2024, when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios, its co-founder Steve Sarowitz, publicist Jennifer Abel and crisis publicist Melissa Nathan.
Lively alleged that Baldoni — who also directed the film — subjected her to sexual harassment, and that he and the other defendants orchestrated a retaliatory smear campaign "to destroy" her reputation in connection with the 2024 Colleen Hoover adaptation. (Baldoni has denied the claims.)
Baldoni later filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane’s PR firm, accusing them of defamation and breach of contract. However, that case was dismissed by Lewis J. Liman, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York, in June 2025.
On April 2, Liman ruled on Baldoni's bid to end the case before its May 2026 trial, dismissing 10 of Lively's 13 claims against the actor. The claims included harassment, defamation and conspiracy, while three allegations will move forward to trial.
Here's everything to know about what's next for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's trial following the April 2 ruling.
Why were the majority of Blake Lively’s legal claims thrown out?
Blake Lively attends the screening of 'Another Simple Favor' on April 27, 2025, in New York City.Credit: Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
Judge Liman ruled that some claims could not move forward as a matter of law, especially those requiring Lively to be considered an employee.
Sigrid McCawley, a member of Lively's legal team, said in a statement shared with PEOPLE on April 2 that the sexual harassment claims dismissal was "not because the defendants did nothing wrong but because the court determined Blake Lively was an independent contractor, not an employee."
What legal claims remain between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni attend the 'It Ends with Us' Premiere on Aug. 6, 2024, in New York City.Credit: Gotham/WireImage; John Nacion/Variety via Getty
Despite 10 of Lively's claims against Baldoni being thrown out, a narrower set of allegations still remain.
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Breach of contract and a Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) retaliation claim against Baldoni’s company, Wayfarer Studios, will move forward to trial. Judge Liman noted that while some of Lively's claims couldn't move forward as a matter of law, others, including her retaliation claims, were backed by enough evidence to proceed.
"This case has always been and will remain focused on the devasting [sic] retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively’s reputation because she stood up for safety on the set and that is the case that is going to trial," McCawley's statement read.
What's next in Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal saga?
Blake Lively on Nov. 30, 2023, in London; Justin Baldoni on Dec. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles.Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty
A trial is scheduled to begin in New York on May 18, 2026. Attorneys for Lively and Baldoni have previously said that both actors plan to testify during the trial.
"The ultimate moment for a plaintiff's story to be told is at trial," Lively's attorney, Mike Gottlieb, told PEOPLE in May 2025. "We expect that to be the case here [with Lively]. So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course she’s going to testify."
McCawley echoed this in her April 2026 statement following the dismissal of the majority of Lively's claims, saying that the actress "looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight."
Meanwhile, Baldoni responded to the April 2 rulings via a statement from lawyers Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach of Shapiro Arato Bach that was shared with PEOPLE and said his team was "pleased" with the court's dismissal decision.
"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," the statement read. "What’s left is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court."
Lively is seeking more than $160 million in damages.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
