The drama surrounding the movie It Ends With Us just took a thriller-worthy turn in the New York courts. What started as hallway rumors about an alleged on-set feud between its stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, has escalated into one of the most expensive and media-worthy legal battles of the last decade in Hollywood.
This Thursday, a federal judge dropped a bombshell that has left the Gossip Girl actress in a complicated position: the vast majority of her allegations have been dismissed. Here are all the details of Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
The miscalculation that cost Blake dearly
U.S. Magistrate Judge Lewis J. Liman issued the ruling that has shaken the Manhattan offices of the representatives.
Of the 13 original charges Lively filed against Baldoni in 2024, the judge decided to strike 10 outright.
The reason? A geographical and legal technicality that appears to be a blunder on the part of his team of lawyers.
As it turns out, Blake based much of his lawsuit on a specific California state sexual harassment law.
However, Judge Liman clarified that the reported events allegedly occurred at a recording studio in New Jersey, where the most intense scenes of the film were shot.
Because of this “confusion” of jurisdiction, very heavy charges such as harassment, defamation and conspiracy have been left out of the main file.
What’s next: Retaliation and broken contracts
But beware, it’s not all laughter for Baldoni.
Although he was cleared of most of the charges, the judge upheld three allegations that could be enough to put him in trouble: breach of contract, retaliation and complicity in retaliation.
In a tense moment in the courtroom, Magistrate Liman was very clear in pointing out that Justin’s conduct was not exactly exemplary: “There is certain conduct that, arguably, crossed the line.”
The judge stressed that there comes a point at which a defendant stops defending himself and begins to take actions that a reasonable jury could interpret as personal revenge for having been denounced.
This leaves the door open for the trial to focus on how power was wielded behind the scenes.
Millions of dollars on the table
The economic magnitude of this lawsuit is stratospheric.
Blake Lively has stated that Baldoni’s actions have cost her losses of nearly $161 million, due to what she calls a “smear campaign” that affected her public image and future contracts.
For his part, Baldoni did not stand idly by and attempted a $400 million counterclaim, claiming that he was the real victim of a plot.
However, that attempt was struck down by the judge last year, as was his lawsuit against The New York Times.
With this new scenario, both actors will face each other face to face in a Manhattan courtroom on May 18.
There’s no turning back now; what’s left of their reputations will be put on the line before a jury that will decide if there was a toxic work environment or if it was all a war of egos that got out of control.
Do you think Blake Lively will win the three remaining charges, or will Justin Baldoni emerge victorious from this scandal?
Filed under: Blake Lively Justin Baldoni lawsuit
With information from EFE
