Trending Now - Blake Lively's Harassment Case Against Baldoni Dismissed by Judge

WHO:

Deadline - Blake Lively's legal battle has lasted a year and a half.

NBC News - Blake Lively stated, "I am grateful for the Court's ruling which allows the heart of my case to be presented to a jury next month."

Deadline - Blake Lively received strong support from WME (William Morris Endeavor) following the judge's ruling.

Deadline - Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, Judge Lewis Liman

Yahoo - Lively's lawyer, Ryan Reynolds, Taylor Swift

WHAT:

Yahoo - A federal judge dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, including sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy.

Yahoo - The judge's ruling allows allegations of breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation to proceed to trial.

Yahoo - A federal judge dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, including sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy.

Yahoo - The trial is scheduled to begin on May 18th, 2026.

Yahoo - Lively's lawyer stated that she "looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation."

Yahoo - Judge Liman stated, "Assuming he was improvising, the conduct was not so far beyond what might reasonably be expected to take place between two characters during a slow dancing scene such that an inference of hostile treatment on the basis of sex would arise."

Rolling Stone - Lively stated, "The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit, but I brought this case because of the pervasive RETALIATION I faced."

Yahoo - Judge Liman stated that Lively's allegations of Baldoni's behavior during filming were not sufficiently inappropriate to infer hostile treatment based on sex, as it was directed to Lively's character rather than to Lively herself.

Yahoo - Baldoni maintains that the social media backlash against Lively was organic and, following the New York Times article, he sued the paper for defamation.

Yahoo - The film "It Ends With Us," which features Lively and Baldoni, was a box office hit, and two other adaptations of Colleen Hoover's novels, "Regretting You" and "Reminders of Him," have been released since.

NY Post - Both parties have publicly responded to the ruling, with Lively's team calling it a technicality and Baldoni's attorneys expressing they are "very pleased" with the outcome.

Yahoo - Lively alleged that Baldoni made comments about her weight and body during the production of the film.

Deadline - A judge dismissed Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni and his Wayfarer executives.

NY Post - The judge's ruling allows several allegations to proceed to trial, including breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation.

Yahoo - Judge Liman struck down 10 of Lively’s 13 claims, including sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy.

Yahoo - The trial is scheduled to begin on May 18th, 2026.

Yahoo - Lively's lawyer stated that she "looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation."

WHERE:

Deadline - The trial is set to take place in New York City.

WHEN:

Yahoo - Mediation between Baldoni and Lively occurred in March 2026, but they were unable to reach a settlement.

Yahoo - The allegations went public in a December 2024 New York Times article.

Yahoo - Baldoni filed a $400 million countersuit in January 2025, which was dismissed in June 2025.

Yahoo - Mediation between Baldoni and Lively occurred in March 2026.

WHY:

Yahoo - Lively alleged that Baldoni created a hostile work environment on the It Ends With Us set, including making comments about her weight and body.

Yahoo - Judge Liman ruled that Lively was an independent contractor and could not file a sexual harassment claim under Title VII, which applies only to employees.

Yahoo - Lively alleged that Baldoni created a hostile work environment and organized a retaliatory smear campaign against her after she reported misconduct.

HOW:

Yahoo - Text messages between Taylor Swift and Lively became public earlier in 2026 after being unsealed as part of Lively’s lawsuit.

Yahoo - Text messages between Taylor Swift and Lively were unsealed earlier in 2026 as part of Lively’s lawsuit.

Yahoo - Judge Liman stated that Baldoni's conduct during filming was not so inappropriate as to infer hostile treatment based on sex, as it was directed to Lively's character rather than to Lively herself.

(UPDATED April 4, 2026 23:02 UTC)

A federal judge has dismissed ten of Blake Lively's thirteen claims against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, which included serious allegations like sexual harassment and defamation, while allowing claims of breach of contract and retaliation to proceed to trial. This legal battle, which has lasted a year and a half, saw mediation efforts in March 20th26 that ultimately failed to reach a settlement. Lively's allegations center around claims that Baldoni fostered a hostile work environment on the set of "It Ends With Us," including inappropriate comments about her body, and text messages between her and Taylor Swift were made public earlier this year as part of the lawsuit.

(UPDATED April 4, 2026 17:05 UTC)

Blake Lively expressed her gratitude for a court ruling that will allow her case against Baldoni to be presented to a jury next month. The judge's decision permits allegations of breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation to move forward to trial, following unsuccessful mediation efforts in March 20th26. Lively has accused Baldoni of creating a hostile work environment on the set of It Ends With Us, including making inappropriate comments about her weight and body, with text messages between her and Taylor Swift becoming public earlier this year as part of the lawsuit.

(UPDATED April 4, 2026 07:15 UTC)

A federal judge has dismissed ten of Lively’s thirteen claims against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, including serious allegations like sexual harassment and defamation, ruling that Lively, as an independent contractor, cannot file a sexual harassment claim under Title VII. The trial is set to begin May 18th, after mediation efforts in March failed to reach a settlement. Lively's lawyer expressed eagerness for her to testify at trial, emphasizing the importance of addressing what they describe as a vicious form of online retaliation.

(UPDATED April 4, 2026 05:21 UTC)

A judge has commented on a case involving a slow dancing scene, stating that the conduct in question was not so extreme that it could be interpreted as hostile treatment based on sex. Meanwhile, Lively expressed her reluctance to enter into a lawsuit, emphasizing that she felt compelled to bring the case forward due to the widespread retaliation she experienced. Both statements highlight the complexities surrounding the legal issues at play.

(UPDATED April 4, 2026 03:47 UTC)

A judge has ruled that the allegations made by Lively against Baldoni regarding his behavior during filming were not serious enough to suggest any hostile treatment based on sex, as they pertained to her character rather than her personally. Baldoni has responded to the social media backlash against Lively, claiming it was organic and has even filed a defamation lawsuit against the New York Times following their article. The film "It Ends With Us," which stars both Lively and Baldoni, has been a box office success, and since then, two other adaptations of Colleen Hoover's novels, "Regretting You" and "Reminders of Him," have also been released.

(UPDATED April 4, 2026 01:21 UTC)

Blake Lively received strong support from WME following a judge's ruling in her ongoing legal battle with Baldoni, with both parties publicly responding to the outcome. Lively's team described the ruling as a technicality, while Baldoni's attorneys expressed satisfaction with the decision, which comes after mediation efforts in March 20th26 failed to reach a settlement. The lawsuit has also seen the unsealing of text messages between Lively and Taylor Swift earlier this year, which are part of the case.

(UPDATED April 3, 2026 23:07 UTC)

A judge has dismissed Blake Lively's sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni and his Wayfarer executives, while allowing several other allegations, including breach of contract and retaliation, to proceed to trial. Judge Liman struck down ten of Lively’s thirteen claims, stating that she was an independent contractor and could not file a sexual harassment claim under Title VII, which only applies to employees. The trial is set to begin in New York City May 18th, where Lively's lawyer expressed that she looks forward to testifying and addressing the issues of online retaliation.