Actress Blake Lively has vowed to continue her fight against “digital violence” after a judge dismissed the majority of her legal claims against co-star Justin Baldoni. In a statement on Instagram, Lively said the heart of her case will go to a jury next month and that she looks forward to telling her story in court.
Lively has alleged that she faced sexual harassment during the production of It Ends With Us and that Baldoni and his publicists launched a digital smear campaign after she complained. On Thursday, Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of the 13 claims, including sexual harassment, defamation, and conspiracy, but allowed three claims—retaliation, aiding and abetting retaliation, and breach of contract—to proceed to trial.
In her statement, Lively described digital violence as “abuse” that is “everywhere” and urged fans not to view the case as mere celebrity drama. She wrote, “The physical pain from digital violence is very real… It affects us all.” Judge Liman ruled that Lively could not bring a sexual harassment claim under federal law because she was an independent contractor, not an employee, and California law did not apply as the production took place in New Jersey.
Lively’s agency, WME, which severed ties with Baldoni over the accusations, issued a statement supporting her remaining claims. WME said she “has helped expose the devastating harm caused by covert digital takedown campaigns” and praised her courage. A magistrate judge has ordered both sides to discuss updated settlement positions on Monday, following an earlier unsuccessful mediation.
Lively’s lawyer, Sigrid McCawley, indicated that Lively may have already achieved part of her goal, stating that “the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed.” However, McCawley added that Lively is looking forward to testifying at trial in May to “continue shining a light on this vicious form of online retaliation.”
