The protracted legal battle between the stars of the film “It Ends With Us” took a significant turn. A federal judge dismissed most of the charges filed by actress Blake Lively against her co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, on Thursday, April 2, in what represents a partial victory for the filmmaker. Judge Lewis Liman of the Southern District of New York dismissed 10 of the 13 claims included in Lively's original lawsuit, according to court documents obtained by U.S. media. Among the charges that will not proceed are those of sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy, the cornerstones of the explosive lawsuit the actress filed in December 2014. Three charges survive. Of the initial battery of charges, the court allowed only three claims to proceed to trial, scheduled for May of this year. These are: breach of contract, retaliation in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), and complicity in such retaliation.

The ruling does not delve into the truth of the facts, but rather determines that many of the original allegations did not meet the legal requirements to be considered valid.

Lively's legal team's response was swift. Sigrid McCawley, a member of her defense team, told Entertainment Weekly: “This case has always been and will continue to be centered on the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary measures taken by the defendants to destroy Blake Lively's reputation because she stood up for safety on set. That is the case going to trial.”

In a broader statement, the actress's team emphasized that “the sexual harassment case is not moving forward not because the defendants did nothing wrong, but because the court determined that Blake Lively was an independent contractor, not an employee.”

Similarly,They stated that the greatest justice for Lively is that “the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed.” Baldoni's representatives have not yet issued an official statement. The Background of the Conflict: The dispute between the stars of “It Ends With Us” erupted in December 2024, following a press tour marked by rumors of behind-the-scenes tensions. At that time, Lively filed a complaint with the California Department of Civil Rights, alleging that Baldoni engaged in “invasive, unprofessional, and sexually inappropriate” behavior and hired a crisis management firm to orchestrate a smear campaign against her. Baldoni, through his attorney, called the allegations “completely false, outrageous, and intentionally scandalous.” In January 2025, the director counterattacked with a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation, civil extortion, and breach of contract. However, a judge dismissed that lawsuit in June 2025. With the trial set for May, the legal focus will now narrow to the three allegations that survived the initial legal scrutiny. Blake Lively, according to her team, hopes to testify and “continue to shed light on this cruel form of online retaliation so that it is easier to detect and combat.”