Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni's 'It Ends with Us' legal battle: A timeline
The onscreen drama of "It Ends with Us" is nothing compared to the legal battle its co-stars, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, are at the center of in real life.
The castmates have been embroiled in a heated legal feud since December 2024, when Lively first filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of the film, which he also directed.
Lively, represented by attorney Michael Gottlieb, and Baldoni, represented by attorney Bryan Freedman, launched dueling lawsuits against each other in the weeks since, dominating headlines and drawing attention at every step.
Ahead of their court date, Lively followed in Baldoni's steps by filing an amended version of her original complaint, one that her lawyers said "provides significant additional evidence and corroboration of her original claims."
Keep reading to see a timeline of the events in the actors' legal back-and-forth.
Aug. 9, 2024: 'It Ends with Us' debuts in theaters, becomes a box-office success
"It Ends with Us," based on Colleen Hoover's bestselling novel of the same name, debuted in theaters on Aug. 9.
The film, which explores themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse, starred Lively, Baldoni, Jenny Slate, Brandon Sklenar, Hasan Minaj and more. Christy Hall wrote the screenplay and Baldoni directed.
According to the box-office data website The Numbers, "It Ends with Us" grossed nearly $350 million worldwide.
Dec. 20, 2024: Lively files initial complaint
Lively first filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department in late December, alleging "severe emotional distress" after she said Baldoni and key stakeholders in the film sexually harassed her and attempted, along with Baldoni's production company, to orchestrate a smear campaign against her.
The allegations in the California complaint were detailed in a New York Times article titled "'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine." Included in the report were details surrounding a January 2024 "all hands" meeting -- held "prior to resuming filming of 'It Ends With Us,'" according to the complaint -- that was held to address Lively's workplace concerns, adding that it was attended by key stakeholders in the film and Lively's husband, Ryan Reynolds. Lively said she laid out specific demands at that meeting to ensure a safe and professional working environment to which she says Baldoni and Wayfarer agreed.
Lively claimed Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, which produced "It Ends With Us," then engaged in a "social manipulation" campaign to "destroy" Lively's reputation, according to the complaint.
Freedman, the attorney for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, denied the allegations, calling Lively's claims "completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media."
Lively was criticized during the "It Ends with Us" tour for her conduct during press interviews and from some who felt she did not highlight the film's focus of domestic violence enough.
Dec. 31, 2024: Baldoni sues The New York Times
Baldoni filed a lawsuit against the New York Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy on Dec. 31 after it published the article about Lively's California complaint.
The lawsuit claimed the Times, which included the alleged text messages and email exchanges between Baldoni's publicists Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan, had relied on "cherry-picked" and altered communications, with details "stripped of necessary context and deliberately spliced" to "mislead."
Baldoni is seeking $250 million in damages in his suit against the Times and also listed nine other co-plaintiffs including Wayfarer Studios LLC and his publicists, Abel and Nathan.
Freedman claimed in a statement to "GMA" that the Times "cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful 'untouchable' Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative."
A Times spokesperson told "GMA" that the they "plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit," adding, "The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead. Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article."
Dec. 31, 2024: Lively formalizes details from California complaint into a lawsuit against Baldoni
On Dec. 31, Lively formalized her initial California Civil Rights Department complaint into a lawsuit filed in New York, which reiterated details she previously presented in her California complaint.
Attorneys for Lively said in a statement that the actress's "decision to speak out has resulted in further retaliation and attacks."
"As alleged in Ms. Lively's federal Complaint, Wayfarer and its associates have violated federal and California state law by retaliating against her for reporting sexual harassment and workplace safety concerns," Lively's attorneys claimed. "Now, the defendants will answer for their conduct in federal court."
Baldoni denied the allegations.
Jan. 7, 2025: Lively and Baldoni's lawyers issue dueling statements
In a statement obtained by ABC News on Jan. 7, Lively's lawyers said their client's "federal litigation before the Southern District of New York involves serious claims of sexual harassment and retaliation, backed by concrete facts."
"This is not a 'feud' arising from 'creative differences' or a 'he said/she said' situation," Lively's attorneys added. "As alleged in Ms. Lively's complaint, and as we will prove in litigation, Wayfarer and its associates engaged in unlawful, retaliatory astroturfing against Ms. Lively for simply trying to protect herself and others on a film set."
The statement continued by asking "everyone to remember that sexual harassment and retaliation are illegal in every workplace and in every industry."
Freedman, Baldoni's lawyer, responded to the statement from Lively's camp by saying, "It is painfully ironic that Blake Lively is accusing Justin Baldoni of weaponizing the media when her own team orchestrated this vicious attack by sending the New York Times grossly edited documents prior to even filing the complaint."
"We are releasing all of the evidence which will show a pattern of bullying and threats to take over the movie. None of this will come as a surprise because consistent with her past behavior Blake Lively used other people to communicate those threats and bully her way to get whatever she wanted. We have all the receipts and more."
Jan. 16, 2025: Baldoni sues Lively and Reynolds
Baldoni formally filed a civil lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, the couple's publicist Leslie Sloane and Sloane's public relations company Vision PR for, among other things, extortion and defamation.
Baldoni accused Lively of having "robbed" him and Wayfarer Studios LLC of control of "It Ends with Us," as well as destroying Baldoni's "personal and professional reputations and livelihood."
Baldoni, Wayfarer, Baldoni's publicist Jennifer Abel, Melissa Nathan -- a crisis PR specialist hired by Wayfarer Studios -- and Baldoni's friend, podcast co-host, and Wayfarer CEO Jamey Heath are listed as plaintiffs. They are seeking $400 million in damages.
The suit claims Lively pushed a "false and damaging narrative" against Baldoni that was "rife with lies and doctored 'evidence'" in accusing him of sexual harassment on the set of "It Ends with Us."
Baldoni's suit accuses Sloane of having gone "so far as to propagate malicious stories portraying Baldoni as a sexual predator" and Reynolds of using the term to describe Baldoni in a call with Baldoni's agent. The suit claims Reynolds told Baldoni's rep to "drop" him as a client.
The suit also claims Baldoni and the other plaintiffs were "the targets of a calculated and vitriolic smear campaign" lodged by the defendants, and that Lively, leveraging her and her husband's star power, took control of the film -- including Lively having her own cut of it.
Freedman called the lawsuit "a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team's duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media."
Lively's lawyers responded with a statement calling the lawsuit "another chapter in the abuser playbook."
"This is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim. This is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender."
"They are trying to shift the narrative to Ms. Lively by falsely claiming that she seized creative control and alienated the cast from Mr. Baldoni. The evidence will show that the cast and others had their own negative experiences with Mr. Baldoni and Wayfarer," the statement continued. "The evidence will also show that Sony asked Ms. Lively to oversee Sony's cut of the film, which they then selected for distribution and was a resounding success."
Jan. 27, 2025: Judge sets trial date, initial pretrial conference
On Jan. 27, Judge Liman set a trial date in the matter of Lively and Baldoni's lawsuits for March 9, 2026.
At the time, he signaled a plan to consolidate the actors' lawsuits against each other into one and told both parties to be prepared to address "pretrial publicity and attorney conduct" at the initial pretrial conference on Feb. 3.
Jan. 30, 2025: Judge officially consolidates Lively and Baldoni's lawsuits
Lively and Reynolds' attorney stated they intend to file a motion to "dismiss" Baldoni's lawsuit against them in a court document submitted Jan. 30.
In an order also filed Jan. 30, Judge Liman instructed the clerk to consolidate the cases between Lively and Baldoni into one singular case.
Jan. 31, 2025: Baldoni's team launches website containing amended complaint, timeline
In the days before the actors' lawyers met in court for the first time, Baldoni's attorneys launched a website containing two links: one to an amended version of Baldoni's complaint, as well as a document titled "Timeline of Relevant Events," both of which are noted to have been published Jan. 31.
Feb. 3, 2025: Lively and Baldoni's lawyers meet in court for the 1st time
Attorneys for Lively and Baldoni met in court for the first time on Feb. 3 for a 90-minute hearing that largely revolved around scheduling going forward but offered insights into upcoming strategy, what's to come and concerns about the case being litigated in the media.
Gottlieb said they would be moving to dismiss the complaint from Baldoni and that they would file an amended complaint of their own by the end of next week that would add both new claims and new defendants -- though they did not say who or what.
Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni, said they plan to dismiss their case against The New York Times in California, as the publication has been added to the New York case in an effort to speed things along, saying "it kind of made no sense at all to be doing this on different coasts."
The New York Times told ABC News in a statement -- which referenced their initial statement -- that their story "was meticulously and responsibly reported" and that they "plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit."
Despite the changes, Freedman indicated their desire to move the case along and noted he wants to take Lively's deposition as soon as possible, saying, "We would like to move this case along as quickly as possible. There's no reason to wait."
Lively's attorney said the actress has "suffered an ongoing campaign of retaliation" and is "very eager to have her day in court."
Judge Liman said the idea of early depositions is "not going forward" until all parties are decided on in the case, adding, "I'm not going to have people deposed twice, unless there's a really good reason."
Sigrid McCawley, an attorney for Sloane and Vision PR, Lively and Reynolds' publicist, said they would be filing a motion to dismiss regarding the claims against her client and her business.
The issue of the case being litigated in the press was a major topic of discussion by both lawyers.
Gottlieb said Freedman's public statements have been defamatory and "continue the campaign of retaliation" against Lively. He added that they are not seeking "a gag order" against Freedman, only for the judge to adopt the rules of professional conduct for lawyers that govern what can be said outside of court.
Freedman signaled he also wanted those rules adopted, saying, "This has not been a one-way street."
Both the judge and Lively's attorney took issue with an attachment Freedman included on a recently launched website, the document titled "Timeline of Relevant Events."
"The law is pretty clear -- you can't just attach a factual narrative," Judge Liman said, later stating that sanctions are possible.
At one point in Monday's hearing, the judge also stated that he has the power to move up the trial date if the case is litigated in the press to the point that it becomes untenable. "I don't want to do that," Judge Liman warned, but noted that he could.
Feb. 16, 2025: Lively and Reynolds attend 'SNL50: The Anniversary Special'
Lively and Reynolds attended the 50th anniversary special for "Saturday Night Live" in New York City on Feb. 16. During the show, the couple participated in a segment with comedians Tina Fey and Amy Poehler titled "Audience Q&A" in a moment that seemingly referenced their ongoing legal drama.
As Reynolds stood up to ask a question, Fey asked, "How's it going?"
Reynolds answered, "Great. Why? What have you heard?"
Fey then said "cool stuff only" while Poehler said "great stuff."
Reynolds, in response, said, "Yeah, OK," while Lively smiled.
Feb. 18, 2025: Lively files amended complaint
Lively filed an amended version of her lawsuit in court on Feb. 18.
The actress's lawyers said in a statement that the new version "provides significant additional evidence and corroboration of her original claims" and "includes previously undisclosed communications" as well as "numerous other witnesses."
The amended complaint alleges that Lively was not the only woman to voice concern over sexual harassment on the set of "It Ends with Us."
Lively's complaint notes that in May 2023 "another female cast member reported her own concerns regarding Mr. Baldoni's unwelcome behavior" and that the cast member came forward despite "considerable reservations" because she felt "the work on the Film was suffering as a result of Mr. Baldoni's behavior." She claims Baldoni then "responded to that cast member in writing, acknowledging that he was aware of her concerns and that adjustments would be made" but that conditions didn't approve.
"Later, another female cast member confided to Ms. Lively that she too felt uncomfortable on set," the amended complaint reads. "All of this occurred, and was documented in writing, almost one year before the editing of the Film began."
Lively's amended complaint alleges that Baldoni's "false narrative crumbles under the indisputable truth that Ms. Lively was not alone in complaining about Mr. Baldoni and raised her concerns contemporaneously as they arose in 2023, not in connection with some imagined power play for control of the Film in 2024." Additionally, it alleges Baldoni "acknowledged the complaints in writing at the time" and "knew that women other than Ms. Lively also were uncomfortable and had complained about his behavior."
Lively argues in her amended complaint that Baldoni's public persona of having "portrayed himself as a leader of the male feminist movement" is a "stark contrast" to his private behavior, which she alleges "is replete with hypocrisy, misogyny, and retaliation."
The actress' attorneys said in a statement of the amended complaint, "Over the next several weeks, we will move to dismiss the utterly meritless lawsuits brought against Ms. Lively and Mr. Reynolds, and we will move full speed ahead with discovery that we expect will reveal shocking details about the depth to which the Defendants have sunk in their unending efforts to 'bury,' 'ruin,' and 'destroy' Ms. Lively and her family."
The amended complaint has also added a new claim for defamation, which, according to Lively's attorneys, is "based on the repeated false statements the defendants have made about Ms. Lively since she filed her original complaint."
Baldoni's lawyer, Freedman, issued a statement in response to Lively's amended complaint, claiming in part that it "is filled with unsubstantial hearsay of unnamed persons who are clearly no longer willing to come forward or publicly support her claims."
"Since documents do not lie and people do, the upcoming depositions of those who initially supported Ms. Lively's false claims and those who are witnesses to her own behavior will be enlightening," he continued. "What is truly remarkable here is Ms. Lively's lack of actual evidence."
March 20, 2025: Blake Lively files motion to dismiss Justin Baldoni's countersuit
Attorneys for actress Lively asked a judge on Thursday to dismiss Baldoni's amended complaint against her.
In documents filed in the Southern District of New York on Thursday afternoon, Lively's attorneys cited California Civil Code section 47.1, a law designed to protect people who report allegations of sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination from being sued unless the person making the claims was acting with malice. If the case is dismissed under this law, Baldoni would also be required to pay Lively's legal fees.
Lively's lawyers Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson shared a statement with "GMA," calling Baldoni's lawsuit a "profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court."
"California law now expressly prohibits suing victims who make the decision to speak out against sexual harassment or retaliation, whether in a lawsuit or in the press," their statement continued. "This meritless and retaliatory lawsuit runs head first into three legal obstacles, including the litigation, fair report, and sexual harassment privileges, the latter of which contains a mandatory fee shifting provision that will require the likes of billionaire Steve Sarowitz, Wayfarer Studios, and others that brought frivolous defamation claims against Ms. Lively to pay damages. "
They added, "In other words, in an epic self-own, the Wayfarer Parties' attempt to sue Ms. Lively 'into oblivion' has only created more liability for them, and deservedly so, given what they have done."
A spokesperson for Lively said in a statement, "The painful reality is that Ms. Lively is not alone in being sued for defamation after speaking up about being sexually harassed at work. That is entirely why California recently enacted AB 933, the Privileged Communications Incident of Sexual Assault, Harassment, or Discrimination Act, which codified California civil code section 47.1."
The statement added, "While Ms. Lively has suffered greatly by speaking up and pursuing legal claims, it is important for other people to know that they have protections, and that there is a specific law that expressly protects them from being silenced or financially ruined by a defamation lawsuit because they had the courage to speak up."
"Good Morning America" has reached out to Baldoni's reps for comment. He has vehemently denied harassing Lively and said previously that the allegations are part of a smear campaign against him.
June 3, 2025: Blake Lively allowed to withdraw claims of emotional distress from lawsuit
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ruled on June 3 that Lively will not be able to present evidence or make any claims of emotional distress -- claims included in the lawsuit she originally filed against Baldoni in late December -- when the case goes to trial next year.
Liman also ruled that Lively does not have to provide her medical records to the court following the withdrawal of the claims of emotional distress.
The judge left it up to Baldoni's and Lively's legal teams to sort out whether Lively can refile the emotional distress claims later on.
"The parties shall stipulate to whether the dismissal is with or without prejudice, or Lively shall renew her request by formal motion," Liman wrote in his ruling. "For avoidance of doubt, if the claims are not dismissed, the Court will preclude Lively from offering any evidence of emotional distress."
June 9, 2025: Judge grants motion to dismiss Justin Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds
Justin Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively, her husband, the couple's publicist Leslie Sloane, as well as Baldoni's defamation suit against The New York Times, was dismissed by Judge Lewis J. Liman on June 9.
In his opinion, Liman wrote that Baldoni's lawsuit hinged on claims that Lively "stole the film from Baldoni and Wayfarer, threatening to refuse to promote the film and attack Baldoni and Wayfarer in the press if the Wayfarer Parties did not agree to grant her, rather than Wayfarer, control over and credit for the film" and that "Lively, Sloane, Reynolds, and the Times spread a false narrative that Baldoni committed sexual misconduct towards Lively and the Wayfarer Parties then engaged in a smear campaign to ruin her reputation."
"Regardless of the propriety of these actions, they do not constitute civil extortion under California law," Liman wrote, adding that "the Wayfarer Parties have not adequately alleged that Lively's threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions" and had "not shown that some of Lively's allegedly extortionate acts damaged them."
He continued, "The Wayfarer Parties also cannot recover on their defamation claims. The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged. The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign. But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane, or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law."
The opinion also referred to the Times article about Lively's initial California Civil Rights Department complaint. "The alleged facts indicate that the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened," Liman wrote. "The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively's version of events."
In a statement, Lively's lawyers called the dismissal a "total victory and complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times."
"As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it," the statement read. "We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation."
"Good Morning America" has reached out to Baldoni's attorneys for comment.
The actor and filmmaker has until June 23 to refile some of his claims.
June 24, 2025: Justin Baldoni opts out of amending claims against Blake Lively
Two weeks after Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against Lively and Reynolds, Baldoni decided not to revise his claims against the two actors.
Baldoni had originally been given until June 23 to amend some of his claims, which included tortious interference with contract and breach of implied covenant.
In a statement, the "It Ends With Us" actor and filmmaker's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said, "Instead of revising the existing claims, our clients will be pursuing additional legal options that are available to us."
"The Court's decision on the motion to dismiss has no effect whatsoever on the truth that there was no harassment nor any smear campaign, and it does not in any way affect our vigorous defense against Ms. Lively's claims," Freedman added. "Discovery is proceeding and we are confident that we will prevail against these factually baseless accusations."
Lively's spokesperson responded to Baldoni's decision, saying in a statement, "The Court dismissed the frivolous $400 million Baldoni-Wayfarer lawsuit in its entirety."
They added, "In the days that followed, Baldoni's lawyer said the judge's decision to dismiss their case was not a big deal as they promised to amend and refile it. As per usual, that was not true. The Court's dismissal of Baldoni's sham lawsuit was a total victory after all."
Oct. 31, 2025: Judge formally ends Baldoni's counterclaim against Lively
A federal judge in New York formally ended Baldoni's $400 million counterclaim against his "It Ends With Us" co-star Blake Lively by entering a final judgment, after dismissing the suit in June.
Baldoni is able to appeal the judge's ruling.
Nov. 13, 2025: Justin Baldoni asks judge to dismiss Blake Lively's lawsuit against him
Attorneys for Baldoni asked a judge to toss Lively's lawsuit against him in a memo filed Nov. 13, 2025.
A court document filed by Baldoni's and Wayfarer Studios' attorneys argued that Lively had not provided evidence that the "behavior she disliked was caused by her sex or gender, a basic prerequisite for her 'sexual harassment' claims."
The document also claimed that Baldoni and his co-defendants had not committed any crimes and had not engaged "in a defamatory 'smear campaign'" by promoting positive content about Baldoni during promotion of the film.
"That Lively's reputation may have suffered is a result of her own ill-advised public statements and actions," the document stated. "This is a dispute about Hollywood reputations, not genuine legal wrongs. It does not belong in court."
Baldoni's attorney Alexandra Shapiro also submitted a letter asking the judge to "seal portions of the Wayfarer's Parties' motion for summary judgment and associated exhibits." Shapiro wrote that she did not believe all of the material needed to be sealed but asked the judge to delay any ruling so that attorneys for both sides could meet and submit further motions if necessary.
ABC News has reached out to reps for Lively and Baldoni for comment.
Lively is accusing Baldoni and his team of retaliating against her after she raised concerns about workplace behavior on the set of "This Is Us." She is suing for nearly $500 million in damages, with a trial scheduled to start on March 9, 2026, in New York.
Dec. 9, 2025: Trial date pushed back to May
In early December 2025, the trial for Lively and Baldoni's case was moved from its original scheduled date, March 9, 2026, to May 18, 2026.
The trial date was moved because the judge overseeing the case, Judge Lewis Liman, notified the parties he had two criminal trials scheduled for March.
Jan. 20, 2026: Unsealed Baldoni, Lively text messages show animosity on set, Taylor Swift criticizing Baldoni
In January 2026, hundreds of documents, including text messages of Lively and Baldoni venting to friends and colleagues about the film, were unsealed.
One of the text exchanges from May 2023 showed Lively expressing her frustration with filming to a journalist, saying she "came home and cried" on one occasion and writing, "They're just being creeps," referring to her co-star.
A text exchange between Baldoni and another actor showed Baldoni was also frustrated while making the film, saying in one message that Lively was allegedly threatening not to promote the movie if she was not allowed to take part in the edit.
"She had the nuclear bomb," Baldoni wrote in one message. "If she doesn't promote the movie she can leak that I'm a bad person or that she felt unsafe with me and 'all the stuff' she has on me. Then she's the victim."
In a later text message, he wrote, "The risk to my family isn't worth the creative integrity."
More text messages were included in a filing from Lively's legal team, showing conversations between Lively and singer Taylor Swift, whose song "My Tears Ricochet" was used in the film.
In one text exchange, Swift called Baldoni a "b----" and suggested he knew "something is coming because he's gotten out his tiny violin."
Read more about Swift's and Lively's text message conversations here.
April 2, 2026: Judge dismisses much of Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni
On April 2, 2026, a federal judge in New York gutted much of Lively's case against Baldoni, including claims she was subjected to sexual harassment on set.
The decision came one month before the scheduled start of the trial, as the two sides were in settlement negotiations.
Lively is allowed to pursue certain claims of retaliation against Baldoni's public relations team over alleged harm to her reputation, according to the ruling by Judge Lewis Liman.
In his ruling, Liman said some of Baldoni's conduct "was not so far beyond what might reasonably be expected to take place between two characters" in a sexually charged movie like "It Ends With Us."
"That Baldoni suggested scenes involving sexual acts in the context of developing a motion picture involving such adult themes did not create a 'sexually objectionable environment' or an environment hostile to women (or to men) because of sex," Liman wrote.
Liman allowed Lively to pursue her claims of an orchestrated smear campaign by Baldoni's PR team, saying it "at least arguably crossed the line."
"The reputational effects have been particularly severe given the nature of Lively's profession, which places a heavy emphasis on personal and professional marketability," Liman wrote.
Sigrid McCawley, a member of Lively's legal team, told ABC News in a statement, "This case has always been and will remain focused on the devasting 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."
McCawley added, "Sexual harassment isn't going forward not because the defendants did nothing wrong but because the court determined Blake Lively was an independent contractor, not an employee."
Meanwhile, Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, members of Baldoni's legal team, said in a statement to ABC News, "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. 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."
