A federal judge today took an ax to Blake Lively‘s multi-pronged legal action against her It Starts with Us co-star Justin Baldoni, tossing out her allegations of sexual harassment.
Although her multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios and his crisis PR team remains set for trial next month in New York City, the proceedings now mainly will revolve around Lively’s defamation claims.
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Besides claims that Baldoni repeatedly harassed her on the It Ends with Us set, Lively also alleges that he had a online smear campaign launched against her in mid-2024. The most 21st century aspect of Lively’s case, the accusation is that Baldoni brought crisis PR types like defendants Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel on board to rip Lively apart before the premiere of their hit movie to offset accusations he and his Wayfarer gang were worried she would make against him.
Judge Lewis Liman had ordered both parties to engage in settlement talks, but Baldoni attorney Bryan Freedman said in February that attempts to reach a deal proved “unsuccessful.”
MORE TO COME…
Erik Pedersen contributed to this report.
