Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are facing a much narrower legal fight now, but not a smaller public one. A federal judge in Manhattan dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Justin Baldoni on April 2, leaving three counts headed to trial on May 18. The ruling reshaped the case fast and pushed fresh attention onto how Lively and Reynolds are handling the fallout. For many readers, the Blake Lively battle suddenly looks less like a sprawling lawsuit and more like a pressure test for one of Hollywood’s most watched marriages.
Blake Lively’s Case Just Got Narrower
The dismissed claims included sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy-related allegations, according to CBS News and People. The claims that survived include breach of contract and retaliation-related counts tied to Lively’s allegations that Baldoni and others retaliated against her after she raised concerns. That distinction matters because the judge did not wipe out the entire case. He sharply reduced it, while still leaving a trial with real stakes.
That ruling changed the tone around the dispute overnight. What had been framed as a wide-ranging workplace and reputational fight is now set to land before a jury in a more focused form. Baldoni has denied the allegations throughout, and his own $400 million countersuit was dismissed last year. So while both sides have claimed vindication at different moments, the actual courtroom fight is not over yet.
Ryan Reynolds Steps In More Publicly
The most solidly reported shift since the ruling has come from Reynolds himself. Speaking on Today’s Sunday Sitdown Live, he said he has “never been more proud” of Lively and praised her “level of integrity,” according to both People and Entertainment Weekly. That quote matters more than any unnamed insider chatter because it puts his support on the record. He did not lean into drama. He framed the moment as one about character, endurance, and standing by his wife under pressure.
That public backing also lands differently because the case has started pulling the couple’s image into the story itself. For years, Lively and Reynolds have sold a version of celebrity marriage built on wit, teamwork, and public ease. Now that same marriage is being tested inside a bruising legal fight with filings, unsealed messages, and competing narratives. Even if they still present a united front, the legal noise has become impossible to separate from the personal one.
A Trial Date Makes Everything Feel Closer
The next key date is May 18, when jury selection and trial proceedings are scheduled to begin in New York. People reported that Lively is now seeking up to $300 million in damages and has also moved to keep evidence about her and Reynolds’ finances away from the jury. That filing shows how much the fight has shifted from broad accusation to a sharper battle over what the jury gets to hear and how damages should be measured.
That is also why the marriage angle keeps sticking. When a lawsuit gets narrowed, observers often assume the emotional stakes drop too. In this case, the opposite may be true. The legal field is smaller now, but the spotlight is tighter, the timeline is shorter, and the pressure on both Lively and Reynolds looks more concentrated than before.
For now, the safest read is the clearest one. Most of Blake Lively’s claims are gone, three claims remain, and Ryan Reynolds is publicly standing with her as trial gets closer. The more dramatic talk about fury and private meltdowns may keep circulating, but the strongest reporting points to something simpler: a couple digging in for a courtroom fight that is no longer theoretical.
