Justin Baldoni and his legal team expressed their “gratitude” after Blake Lively’s lawsuit reached a pivotal point.
Following Justin’s attempt to end the case before trial in May, Judge Lewis J. Liman, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York, dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against him.
And the actor and director, along with his legal team, are ‘very satisfied’.
Justin’s legal team said in a statement: “We are very pleased that the Court dismissed all sexual harassment claims and every claim against the individual defendants: Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.”
It continued: “These were very serious allegations, and we are grateful to the Court for its careful assessment of the facts, the law and the extensive evidence provided.
“What remains is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court.”
However, Blake’s legal team expressed regret at the dismissal of most of the claims, noting, “Sexual Harassment does not proceed, not because the Defendants did nothing wrong, but because the court determined that Blake Lively was an independent contractor, and not an employee.”
They further declared their victory regarding “Blake Lively: The greatest measure of justice is that the people and playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they target.”
Blake “looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation, making it easier to detect and combat,” the statement said.
The ruling came after Blake filed the suit in December 2024, accusing Justin of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends with Us,” among a dozen claims.
