Blake Lively is speaking out after a judge dismissed the majority of her case against her And it ends with us Director and co-star Justin Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios.
On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Louis Lehman dismissed most of the allegations in Lively’s lawsuit over alleged online sexual harassment And it ends with us This significantly narrowed the scope of the case as it went to trial in May. Lyman’s decision dismisses Lively’s claims of harassment, defamation and conspiracy, meaning the trial will now focus on the alleged breach of contract and retaliation by Wayfarer and aiding and abetting retaliation by the public relations firm working for Baldoni.
But Lively vows to keep “fighting” and believes the decision still allows for “a turnaround.” [her] “The case” to move forward.
“I will never stop doing my part in fighting to expose systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence, and retaliate against victims,” she wrote in a statement posted to her Instagram Stories on Friday.
“I am grateful for the court’s ruling allowing the substance of my case to be presented to a jury next month, and for the ability to tell my entire story at trial, for my own benefit, but also for those who do not have the same opportunity…many of whom I have known and loved dearly in my life, and countless people I will never know,” she wrote earlier in the statement.
She added: “The last thing I wanted in my life was to file a lawsuit, but I brought this case because of the pervasive retaliation I faced, and continue to face, for demanding both personally and professionally to provide a safe work environment for myself and others. I hope the court’s decision shows others that, while unfathomably painful, you can speak up.”
Lively, who is scheduled to testify at the trial, is grateful for the opportunity to present her side of the story, and even included a possible reference to the alleged text messages she sent to her husband Ryan Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift comparing herself to her. game of thrones The character of Khaleesi, Reynolds, and Swift’s dragons, was revealed as part of a defamation and extortion lawsuit filed by Baldoni in January 2025, which was dismissed in June last year.
“I know it’s such an honor to be able to stand up. I won’t waste it,” Lively wrote, followed by a dragon emoji.
She added: “I could not have begun to stand up without the countless people who came before me – and the masses who are still around us all – passing laws, changing society, sparking conversations, rallying, working in the private and public sectors, risking and sometimes losing everything for the safety of others in all places. Some whose names we know, most of whom we do not.” “Thank you all…your support keeps me going.”
She encouraged her fans not to be “distracted by digital series,” stressing that “the physical pain caused by digital violence is very real. It is abuse. It exists everywhere.”
“My allegations would not be the first or last time you will see examples of the extreme dangers of retaliation and digital warfare,” she wrote.
It also shared screenshots of key excerpts from Lehman’s ruling on Thursday.
Lively alleged in her lawsuit that Baldoni orchestrated a campaign of retaliation in the press and on social media after she went public with her sexual harassment allegations.
The court found that although Baldoni was entitled to protect his reputation, some of what he allegedly did could amount to an attack on Lively’s reputation, including key messages in Baldoni’s public relations campaign that her reputation was “less than good in the industry.”[ning] Decades.” There is also evidence that could lead a jury to conclude that Wayfarer planned more aggressive moves intended to harm her career, according to the ruling.
Lively’s attorney, Sigrid McCauley, said in a statement Thursday that the case “is and will always be focused on the devastating retaliation and extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively’s reputation because she stood up for her safety on set.” “For Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that the people and rules of the game behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and actually been held accountable by the other women they targeted,” she added.
Meanwhile, Baldoni’s lawyers, Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, emphasized that the judge’s decision left a “largely narrow case.”
Lively’s agency WME also spoke out in support of the actress on Friday.
“In an industry that often asks women to absorb the hurt and stay calm, Blake Lively chose to stand up for herself, her colleagues, and those who don’t have the ability to fight back,” the agency said in a statement. “You have faced this moment with extraordinary courage, moral clarity and determination.”
The agency highlighted how it had “helped expose the devastating harm caused by covert digital takedown campaigns designed to intimidate, discredit and drown out the truth.”
