'I will never stop fighting': Blake Lively responds after judge dismisses most of her claims against Justin Baldoni

Dubai: Blake Lively has broken her silence following a federal court ruling that dismissed ten out of thirteen claims in her lawsuit against It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni, and her message is clear: she is not done.

In a statement posted to her Instagram Stories on 3 April, the actress addressed the ruling directly, telling her followers she remains grateful that the case is heading to a jury trial and urging the public not to lose sight of what the lawsuit is actually about.

Judge Lewis J. Liman in Manhattan dismissed the majority of Lively's claims, including the sexual harassment allegations she originally filed in December 2024. The dismissal of the harassment claim came down to a legal technicality rather than a factual judgement. Because much of the film was shot on the East Coast, the court determined it did not have sufficient connection to California to fall under the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act.

The judge also ruled that because Lively was working as an independent contractor on the film rather than as an employee, she is not protected under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.

Baldoni's own countersuit, a USD 400 million claim accusing Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds of extortion, was also dismissed earlier, further narrowing what will actually be argued when the case reaches a jury on 18 May.

Three claims remain: breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting retaliation. Those will be decided by a jury, and Lively is expected to testify.

Rather than treating the ruling as a setback, Lively framed it as a reason to keep going. "The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit," she wrote in her Instagram story, "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."

She was careful to redirect the public's attention away from the celebrity angle of the story, which she described as a deliberate distraction. "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 wrote. "The physical pain from digital violence is very real. It is abuse. And it's everywhere."

Lively, who is a mother to four children with Ryan Reynolds, also used her statement to warn parents about the dangers of online manipulation. "If you have kids on phones, they are some of the most vulnerable. Protect them. Have conversations with them."

She closed with a message that left little ambiguity about her intentions going into trial. "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. I know it's a privilege to be able to stand up. I will not waste it."

Lively's lawyer Sigrid McCawley echoed that resolve in her own statement following the ruling. "For Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they've targeted," she said. "She looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight."

McCawley also confirmed that the legal team's focus remains squarely on the retaliation claims and what she describes as an orchestrated smear campaign carried out by Baldoni and his studio, Wayfarer Studios, designed to damage Lively's public image after she raised concerns about the working environment on set.

With the trial date set for 18 May in New York, the coming weeks are likely to bring further developments as both sides prepare their arguments. The jury will ultimately be asked to determine whether a coordinated effort was made to harm Lively's professional reputation in retaliation for speaking up, and whether that caused real damage to her career.

Baldoni has consistently denied the allegations. Neither he nor his representatives have commented on the most recent ruling.

Areeba Hashmi is a trainee at Gulf News.