Blake Lively will keep ‘fighting’ after dismissal of harassment claims in ‘unfathomably painful’ Justin Baldoni case

Key points

• Blake Lively posted a lengthy statement after a major development in her “unfathomably painful” case against her former It Ends With Us director, Justin Baldoni.

• The actress vowed to continue “fighting to expose the systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence, and retaliate against victims.”

• The statement came after a judge dismissed 10 of the 13 claims in her lawsuit, including sexual harassment claims against Baldoni.

Blake Lively is speaking out after a major development in her lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.

The Gossip Girl star posted a lengthy statement on Instagram the day after Judge Lewis Liman of the Southern District of New York dismissed 10 of her 13 claims against her It Ends With Us director and costar and other defendants, including her sexual harassment claims.

“I’m grateful for the Court’s ruling, which allows the heart of my case to be presented to a jury next month, and for the ability to finally tell my story in full at trial, for my own sake, but also for those who don’t have the same opportunity to… many of whom I have known and loved deeply in my life, and the countless I’ll never know,” Lively wrote after Liman allowed the case to proceed to trial with only claims of breach of contract, retaliation in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, and aiding and abetting in retaliation in violation of FEHA.

“The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit, but I brought this case because of the pervasive RETALIATION I faced, and continue to, for privately and professionally asking for a safe working environment for myself and others,” Lively continued. “I hope the Court’s decision shows others that, as unfathomably painful as it is, you can speak up.”

Representatives for Baldoni did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly‘s request for comment.

Lively urged her supporters to continue taking the case seriously. “Don’t be distracted by the digital soap opera. The constant packaging of this lawsuit as a ‘celebrity drama’ is not only irresponsible, but it is by design: to keep you from seeing yourselves in my story,” she said. “The physical pain from digital violence is very real. It is abuse. And it’s everywhere. Not just in the news, but in your communities and schools.”

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants actress, who alleges that she was targeted in an online smear campaign to damage her reputation, suggested that “digital warfare” could impact everyone, not just celebrities.

“It often won’t be directed at celebrities or those who may be able to speak up,” she said. “It affects us all. Across the political spectrum. Pay attention to all the ways we can be manipulated online. Digital manipulation has been boasted as ‘untraceable’. If you have kids on phones, they are some of the most vulnerable. Protect them. Have conversations with them.”

Lively added that her lawsuit is part of a long fight against online harassment that extends far beyond her individual case. “So much critical work has already been done to expose systems, tactics, and players who harm,” she said. “The work to create more safety is in part at trial, but it [will also] continue far after this trial is over. This is the work I’m most proud of.”

She continued, “I couldn’t begin to stand up if not for the countless who’ve gone before me — and the masses who are still around us all — creating laws, social change, sparking conversations, rallying, working privately and publicly, risking and sometimes losing everything for the safety of others in all spaces. Some whose names we know, most we don’t. Thank you. All of you.”

Lively concluded her remarks with resolve to continue her case. “I will never stop doing my part in fighting to expose the systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence, and retaliate against victims,” she said. “I know it’s a privilege to be able to stand up. I will not waste it. Your support keeps me going.”

Judge Liman dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims, including sexual harassment claims against Baldoni. He ruled that the actress’ sexual harassment claims could not move forward because she was not technically an employee, but instead an independent contractor.

He also argued that Baldoni’s conduct on set “was directed to Lively’s character rather than to Lively herself” because he was acting. “Creative artists, no less than comedy room writers, must have some amount of space to experiment within the bounds of an agreed script without fear of being held liable for sexual harassment,” Liman said in his ruling.

Baldoni’s lead attorney, Bryan Freedman, responded to Liman’s decision in a statement to EW earlier this week.

“Since the first day of this case, when Justin and the other defendants were blindsided by these allegations, the legal team on the ground from the beginning have worked extremely long days and nights defending this case through transparency by releasing the actual truthful text messages, and by welcoming and facilitating the release of all documents exhibiting the truth,” he said.

“The defendants were not afraid of the truth,” he continued. “The plan was not only to speak the truth, but to also show that same truth over and over again through the presentation of actual evidence. Neither Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, nor any of the other defendants have engaged in the sexual harassment of Blake Lively.”

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Freedman added, “Despite our clients being accused of DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim, and Offender) in defending these claims, and despite our client being referred to in writing as a predator, what I said, on behalf of our clients day one and every day since then, is true … Our clients are very good people who have not engaged in this sexual harassment as alleged. As such, they have deserved a vigorous defense which was led through transparency. It is gratifying to see that the court’s ruling confirms what the legal team believed from day one.”

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