The long-drawn legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni rages on. In a recent court ruling, a judge threw out the majority of the claims in Lively’s lawsuit, including allegations of harassment. However, claims of breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation have been allowed to proceed to trial.
A huge win for Justin Baldoni in recent court ruling
In the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed 10 out of 13 claims made in Lively’s lawsuit. Claims of s—– harassment, defamation, civil conspiracy, and several workplace-related misconduct allegations were thrown out by the judge.
The court ruled that Lively was not an “employee,” but an independent contractor during filming, meaning workplace harassment laws did not apply in the same way.
The ruling also stated that a harassment claim cannot be filed under California law because the filming took place in New Jersey. Therefore, Lively’s accusations against Baldoni of s——- harassing her on the sets of It Ends With Us—including claims of inappropriate comments about her appearance and weight—will no longer be considered by the court.
“We’re very pleased the Court dismissed all s—– harassment claims and every claim brought against the individual defendants,” Baldoni’s attorney stated, adding, “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. What’s left is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court.”
However, Lively’s claims that Baldoni hired publicists to retaliate by spreading negative stories about her online will proceed to trial. The judge determined that two retaliation claims should be decided by a jury.
“This case has always been and will remain focused on the devastating 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,” Lively’s lawyer McCawley said.
Baldoni’s legal team also argued that Lively’s allegations about his on-set conduct were exaggerated, describing them as relatively minor complaints, while maintaining that he had the right to defend himself against what he views as unfounded accusations. The trial is currently scheduled to take place in May.
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