New York (AFP) – A US judge has dismissed sexual harassment claims brought by actor Blake Lively against co-star Justin Baldoni that were at the heart of an explosive public row between the two, a court filing showed. Manhattan federal judge Lewis Liman also dismissed Thursday defamation and conspiracy claims brought by Lively, but her claims of retaliation and breach of contract against Baldoni still stand as their May 18 civil trial approaches.
Lively had filed a complaint against Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath for allegedly inappropriate behavior and comments during the shooting of the romantic drama “It Ends with Us.” The complaint said Baldoni — who also directed the film — had spoken inappropriately about his sex life and sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to. It also said Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away.
It further claimed that Baldoni waged a PR campaign to wreck Lively’s reputation. Baldoni and the studio Wayfarer countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds with claims of extortion and defamation, but judge Liman dismissed those claims last year. Wayfarer previously insisted that neither the studio, its executives, nor its PR team did anything to retaliate against Lively.
Based on a best-selling novel by US writer Colleen Hoover, “It Ends with Us” made more than $350 million at the box office in 2024, making it one of the biggest hits of the year.
© 2024 AFP
