Blake Lively’s legal fight with Justin Baldoni just took a sharper turn. A federal judge on April 2 dismissed 10 of her 13 claims, including her sexual harassment allegations, while allowing three claims to move forward toward trial. That ruling did not end the case, but it cut down the most explosive parts of it. Now the battle looks less like a sprawling Hollywood war and more like a narrower courtroom clash with higher pressure on both sides. Blake Lively still faces a trial date, but the path suddenly looks tougher.
Blake Lively Case Narrowed
Lively first sued Baldoni in December 2024 over what she described as misconduct tied to It Ends With Us and an alleged retaliation effort after production tensions escalated. Baldoni denied the accusations, and the case has since turned into one of Hollywood’s ugliest legal standoffs. The judge’s latest order stripped away most of Lively’s original complaint, leaving three claims alive. Those surviving claims include breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting retaliation.
Justin Baldoni Scores a Legal Win
That narrowing handed Baldoni a clear legal victory on the most headline-grabbing accusations. People reported that the dismissed claims included harassment and defamation-related allegations, while Forbes said the ruling threw out the majority of Lively’s case before trial. Even so, Baldoni is not out of danger. The remaining claims still keep him tied to a public case that has already damaged reputations, pulled in major Hollywood names, and guaranteed fresh scrutiny once testimony starts.
Trial Pressure Keeps Growing
The next phase now matters even more because the trial is set to begin on May 18. Lively has already named Ryan Reynolds and several people connected to the film as potential witnesses, showing she is still preparing for a full fight in court. That means this setback may sting, but it does not signal a retreat. Instead, it raises the stakes on the claims she still has left and gives Baldoni’s side stronger footing heading into trial.
Public reaction, meanwhile, is moving almost as fast as the case itself. The dismissal sparked a new round of coverage about Lively’s standing in Hollywood and whether the ruling changes the larger narrative around the film’s troubled rollout. Still, a judge trimming claims is not the same as a jury deciding the whole dispute on the facts. Until trial evidence is heard in court, the loudest takes will remain exactly that: takes.
For now, the cleanest read is simple. Lively lost a big chunk of her case, Baldoni gained momentum, and neither side is done. The ruling reshaped the fight, but it did not close it. With trial approaching, this story has moved out of rumor territory and into a more dangerous phase where courtroom details will matter more than spin.
