Blake Lively to proceed with lawsuit over contract and retaliation claims against Justin Baldoni

Blake Lively has announced that she will continue her legal case against director and co-star Justin Baldoni, despite a judge dismissing most of her initial claims, including sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy. Out of the original 13 claims, three will now move forward to trial: breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation. Lively’s legal team emphasised that the core of the case concerns severe retaliation and attempts to damage her reputation after she advocated for safety on set. The dismissal of sexual harassment claims was due to her status as an independent contractor rather than an employee. Meanwhile, Baldoni’s representatives expressed satisfaction at the dismissal of the sexual harassment claims and other allegations against individual defendants. The lawsuit originally filed on 20 December 2024 relates to the film ‘It Ends With Us,’ where Lively starred and Baldoni directed. The author of the source novel, Colleen Hoover, described the legal proceedings as distressing, affecting the actors involved and overshadowing the story inspired by real-life abuse. The case now focuses on the remaining claims and will proceed to trial, where Lively intends to highlight the issue of coordinated online retaliation against women in the industry.