Legal Victory for Justin Baldoni in Blake Lively’s Lawsuit
Justin Baldoni has addressed the latest developments in his ongoing legal battle with Blake Lively, following a significant court ruling that dismissed most of her claims. The 38-year-old actress had filed thirteen allegations against Baldoni, including accusations of sexual harassment and fat-shaming. However, Judge Lewis Liman ruled that all but three of these claims were thrown out.
This decision represents a major win for Baldoni’s legal team, who have been fighting against the $611 million countersuit he faced from Lively. Earlier last year, the judge also dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit against the It Ends with Us actress.
While this outcome was not what Lively’s team had hoped for, her lawsuit will continue with the remaining three claims: retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract.
Baldoni’s attorneys, Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, expressed their satisfaction with the court’s decision. They stated, “We’re 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.”
They added, “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.” The legal team emphasized that the remaining claims present a “significantly narrowed case,” and they look forward to defending them in court.
Lively’s camp responded to the dismissal, clarifying that the sexual harassment claims were not dismissed due to a lack of wrongdoing but because the court determined she was an independent contractor, not an employee.
“We are not deterred by the outcome, as the lawsuit at its core has always been and will remain focused on the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively’s reputation,” her team said.
For Blake Lively, the pursuit of justice extends beyond the courtroom. Her representatives highlighted that the greatest measure of justice is the exposure of those behind the coordinated digital attacks. “The people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they’ve targeted.”
She looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shed light on this form of online retaliation, aiming to make it easier to detect and combat in the future.
The case is set to go to trial on May 18.
