Justin Baldoni and his legal team expressed their “gratitude” after Blake Lively’s lawsuit reached a pivotal point.
Following Justin’s bid to end the case before its May trial, 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 pleased.”
Justin’s legal team said in a statement, “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.”
It continued, “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.
“What’s left 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 their regret over the dismissal of the majority of claims, noting, “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.”
They further declared their win as for “Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that 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.”
Blake “looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight,” the statement read.
The ruling came after Blake filed the case in December 2024, alleging Justinof sexual harassment on the set of ‘It Ends with Us’, among over a dozen claims.