What to know about the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni legal saga

Pop Culture NewsWhat to know about the Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni legal sagaLively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during the production of "It Ends With Us" and then orchestrating a smear campaign. He has vehemently denied her allegations. Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Add NBC News to GoogleJudge dismisses many of the claims in Blake Lively’s lawsuit01:46Get more newsLiveonShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 3, 2026, 4:01 PM EDTBy Daniel ArkinThe legal battle between “It Ends With Us” co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni took an unexpected turn this week when a federal judge dismissed her sexual harassment claims against him, significantly narrowing the scope of the case.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Lively has accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during the production of the 2024 movie “It Ends With Us,” which he directed. Lively has also alleged that Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, retaliated against her after she complained about alleged misconduct on the set of the film, a drama about domestic abuse based on a novel by Colleen Hoover.Baldoni has vehemently denied Lively’s claims.In a 152-page ruling Thursday, U.S. District ‌Judge Lewis Liman tossed out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni. The three claims he left intact will be the subject of a jury trial scheduled to begin May 18 — unless the parties reach a financial settlement before then.Here’s what you need to know about the legal saga.Lively’s allegationsLively went public with her allegations in December 2024, roughly four months after “It Ends With Us” debuted in theaters. She initially lodged a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, then filed a federal lawsuit.The suit accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and creating a hostile work environment. In an amended complaint filed this February, Lively’s lawyers alleged Baldoni made inappropriate comments abou...