Blake Lively's Lawyer Says Sexual Harassment Claims Against Justin Baldoni Remain 'Beating Heart' of Case After Dismissal

Jack SmartFri, April 3, 2026 at 7:32 PM UTC

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Justin Baldoni; Blake LivelyCredit: John Nacion/Getty; ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty -

Blake Lively’s lawyers continue to react to the recent ruling in her case against It Ends with Us costar Justin Baldoni, which dismissed 10 of her 13 claims against him, including those related to sexual harassment

Noting that Lively’s harassment claims weren’t proceeding to trial because of “legal issues rather than an endorsement of the defendants’ conduct,” her attorney Michael Gottlieb said those claims “have always been the beating heart of Ms. Lively’s case”

Baldoni’s lawyers issued separate statements celebrating the dismissal of the majority of Lively’s claims

Blake Lively’s legal team says sexual harassment remains at the core of her case against Justin Baldoni.

Following the dismissal of the majority of Lively’s claims against her It Ends with Us director-costar on Thursday, April 2, the actress’ attorney Michael Gottlieb said in a statement shared with PEOPLE today that her sexual harassment allegations “have always been the beating heart of Ms. Lively’s case. They are why she filed her lawsuit.”

Lively, 38, first filed a sexual-harassment complaint against Baldoni, 42, in December 2024 after behind-the-scenes conflict during It Ends with Us, alleging misconduct on the Colleen Hoover adaptation’s set and a retaliatory smear campaign, which he has denied. In a shake-up to the case ahead of its May 18 trial, federal judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed 10 of the 13 claims Lively filed against Baldoni, including those related to harassment.

Per Gottlieb’s statement, “The Court’s ruling that Ms. Lively’s state and federal harassment claims could not go to trial was about legal issues rather than an endorsement of the defendants’ conduct. The court held that Ms. Lively’s sexual harassment claims could not go to a jury because Ms. Lively did not sign a contract, that she is an independent contractor instead of an employee, and that the offensive conduct occurred in New Jersey instead of California.”

Justin Baldoni; Blake LivelyCredit: John Nacion/Getty; Aeon/GC Images

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Baldoni’s lawyers Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach of Shapiro Arato Bach gave a statement on April 2 noting they were “very pleased the Court dismissed all sexual harassment claims and every claim brought against the individual defendants: Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, Melissa Nathan, and Jennifer Abel… What’s left is a significantly narrowed case.”

“Justin and the other defendants were blindsided by these allegations,” Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman said in a separate statement to TMZ. “Neither Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath nor any of the other defendants have engaged in the sexual harassment of Blake Lively."

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He continued: "Despite our clients being accused of DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender) in defending these claims and despite our client being referred to in writing as a predator, what I said, on behalf of our client’s day one and every day since then is true. Our clients are very good people who have not engaged in this sexual harassment as alleged. As such, they have deserved a vigorous defense which was led through transparency."

Justin Baldoni; Blake LivelyCredit: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock; Gregory Pace/Shutterstock

Gottlieb’s statement addressed Freedman’s comments, saying that his “claiming exoneration based on legal technicalities while facing trial next month tells you everything you .”

Freedman, argued Lively’s attorney, “didn’t even argue the summary judgment motion he’s now spinning, had to bring in another law firm for the trial, and just last week was reprimanded by the court for having filed legally frivolous claims. What the Court actually decided yesterday is that Blake Lively provided evidence to go to trial on her core claims: that she spoke out against what she believed was sexual harassment on the set, and suffered retaliation that harmed her reputation as a result.”

Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al. has had its twists and turns. Baldoni’s counterclaims against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, involving allegations of extortion and defamation, were dismissed by Judge Liman in June 2025; the Jane the Virgin alum’s legal team opted not to refile amended versions of those claims.

In his April 2 ruling, Judge Liman noted that while some of Lively's claims couldn't move forward as a matter of law, others were backed by enough evidence to proceed. Breach of contract and a Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) retaliation claim against Baldoni’s company, Wayfarer Studios, will move forward to trial.

"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," Sigrid McCawley, a member of Lively’s legal team, said in a statement yesterday.

Attorneys for both sides have indicated that Lively and Baldoni plan to testify during the trial, which will take place May 18 in New York.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”