The ongoing legal battle between It Ends with Us’ Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni took a major turn this past week due to a ruling from a federal judge. Ahead of the actors’ trial, Judge Lewis J. Liman – of the Southern District of New York – dismissed the vast majority of the claims Lively against Baldoni. Among the claims that were cleared were defamation, conspiracy and harassment. Lively’s legal team initially responded to the ruling but, now, another one of her lawyers is weighing in, specifically responding to Baldoni’s attorney.
Shortly after the ruling came down, the lawyers representing Baldoni (42) issued a statement, though attorney Bryan Freedman shared separate comments with the Associated Press. Freedman referred to the defendants as “very good people who have not engaged in this sexual harassment as alleged.” The attorney also asserted that it was “gratifying to see that the court’s ruling confirms what the legal team believed from day one.” Those comments were eventually followed up by sentiments from Mike Gottlieb (38), a lawyer for Lively:
It is completely unsurprising that Bryan Freedman does not understand the court's actual ruling. He didn't even argue the summary judgment motion he's now spinning, had to bring in another law firm for the trial, and just last week was reprimanded by the court for having fled legally frivolous claims. What the Court actually decided yesterday is that Blake Lively provided evidence to go to trial on her core claims: that she spoke out against what she believed was sexual harassment on the set, and suffered retaliation that harmed her reputation as a result.
Gottlieb went on to lay out details regarding how Lively and co. reportedly were able to prove several of the claims brought up against Baldoni, his producing partner, Jamey Heath and the actor’s production company, Wayfarer Studios. Additionally, Gottlieb’s message (which was shared to Lively’s Instagram story) emphasized that the claims would now be heard in a formal trial. Later on in the statement, Lively’s lawyer also shared more comments on Freedman (who’s exchanged words with the actress’ attorneys before):
Article continues belowThe Court's ruling that Ms. Lively's state and federal harassment claims could not go to trial was about legal issues rather than an endorsement of the defendants' conduct. The court held that Ms. Lively's sexual harassment claims could not go to a jury because Ms. Lively did not sign a contract, that she is an independent contractor instead of an employee, and that the offensive conduct occurred in New Jersey instead of California. The fact that Bryan Freedman is claiming exoneration based on legal technicalities while facing trial next month tells you everything you need to know.
Mike Gottlieb concluded the statement by saying that he, his client and colleagues look forward to having their day in court. The message can be seen in its entirety down below:
This situation all began in earnest back in December 2024 when Blake Lively filed a legal complaint against Justin Baldoni, who she accused of sexually harassing her on the set of It Ends with Us. Lively also alleged that Baldoni subsequently worked with a PR company to launch a smear campaign against her. In time, the Rhythm Section star filed suit against Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and more on the grounds of the previously mentioned claims.
Justin Baldoni denied wrongdoing and initially filed a defamation suit against the New York Times after it broke the story about the claims against him. After Lively filed suit against him, Baldoni countersued her as well as her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and others for alleged offenses like extortion and defamation. Lively and co. saw a victory in June 2025 when Baldoni’s suit was thrown out by a judge, and his case against the NYT was also dismissed. This latest court ruling was the result of Baldoni and co. challenging the constitutionality of these claims being able to go to trial. While the trial will move forward, 10 of Lively’s 13 allegations have now been dismissed ahead of the court date.
As the trial comes closer, there have been reports about how this ongoing dispute has allegedly had negative effects on Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s reputations. It’s also been alleged that Baldoni has faced financial difficulties due to the legal proceedings. With this latest court ruling now in the rearview mirror, both sides (Mike Gottlieb and Bryan Freedman included) will now look ahead to the trial, which is set to begin on May 18.
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