Blake Lively Speaks Out After Sexual Harassment Claim Against It Ends With Us Star Justin Baldoni Is Dismissed

Lively filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni on December 31, 2024. She claimed Baldoni sexually harassed her while they were on set and that he created a hostile work environment. She said he made her uncomfortable by making comments about her physical appearance and improvising kissing scenes for the film. Lively also accused him of fat-shaming her while they prepared for a scene where Baldoni had to lift her.

She also placed a lot of blame on Baldoni for the criticism she received during the film’s press tour, where viewers believed she came across as tone-deaf and insensitive while promoting a movie about domestic violence.

On Thursday, April 2, 2026, Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of the 13 claims Lively made, including those alleging harassment, defamation, and conspiracy. The remaining three claims, retaliation, breach of contract, and aiding and abetting retaliation, will go to trial. The day after the judge’s ruling, she made a public statement on her Instagram Story regarding the case.

The actress began the long message by thanking the court for allowing her to present “the heart of [her] case” to a jury. She said she never wanted a lawsuit, but she would fight for a safe work environment for herself and others. She wrote, “I hope the Court’s decision shows others that, as unfathomably painful as it is, you can speak up.”

She went on to comment on the physical pain she experienced from the “digital violence” that transpired because of this case. Lively warned that it “affects us all,” and encouraged the reader to pay attention to how people can be “manipulated online.” This is in reference to the remaining claims in her case, where she accused Baldoni of enlisting publicists to plant unflattering articles about her online in an effort to escalate the situation.

Baldoni and his team have rejected all of her accusations, and they claimed she embellished events to show him in a negative light. They called Lively’s complaints about what allegedly occurred on set “minor grievances,” and they don’t see it as sexual harassment. They also added that Baldoni had the right to defend himself against her allegations.

To prevent this case from going to trial, Lively and Baldoni met with a magistrate judge on February 11, 2026, for mediation, but the session ended without a resolution. Major celebrities, including Taylor Swift, have been dragged into the situation through email and text chains despite their efforts to stay away from the messy lawsuit.

The jury trial surrounding It Ends With Us is scheduled to start on May 18, 2026, and the film can be streamed on Netflix.