Blake Lively is asking a federal judge to reject Justin Baldoni’s latest attempt to dismiss her claims as their legal battle connected to the film It Ends With Us continues to move closer to trial.
In a letter filed Thursday with Judge Lewis J. Liman in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Lively’s legal team argued that recent guidance from a federal appeals court supports allowing her lawsuit to proceed.
Her attorneys pointed to a decision issued earlier this week by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. According to the ruling, courts should be cautious about dismissing a case solely based on the wording of a complaint when evidence has already been gathered during the legal process, as per People.
Quoting the decision, Lively’s 38 lawyers wrote that dismissing a complaint at that stage “would hardly serve the efficient or just resolution of disputes” if the evidence collected during the case could potentially support the claims being made.
Lively’s legal team argued that the same principle applies to her lawsuit. They said the judge should consider the evidence already obtained through discovery, including documents and witness testimony, rather than focusing only on the original written allegations.
Baldoni, 42, along with other defendants, has been trying to have the case thrown out through a series of legal motions. Among them is a request for summary judgment, which asks the court to resolve the dispute based on the available evidence without moving forward to a full trial.
However, Lively’s lawyers insist that the case deserves to be examined using the full record of evidence gathered so far and should be allowed to continue through the legal process.
The filing marks the latest Development in the ongoing dispute between the actress and Baldoni, who worked together on the film adaptation of It Ends With Us. Their legal conflict has been unfolding since late 2024.
In December 2024, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in the film, as well as other defendants. She accused them of sexual harassment and retaliation during the project. Baldoni has denied the allegations.
The actress is seeking more than $160 million in damages. Baldoni previously responded with a $400 million countersuit accusing Lively of extortion and defamation. In that case, however, the judge later dismissed it.
The dispute has already led to court-ordered attempts to resolve the matter outside of trial. In February, Lively and Baldoni attended a mediation session in New York as part of a required settlement effort.
On Feb. 11, both sides spent around six hours meeting with Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave. The discussions were intended to explore a possible resolution to Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit, but the session ended without an agreement.
If the case proceeds as scheduled, both actors are expected to testify in court. The trial is currently set to begin on May 18. Judge Liman has not yet issued a decision on the defendants’ latest request to dismiss the claims.
READ NEXT
- Blake Lively’s lawyers reference new appeals ruling in Justin Baldoni legal battle
- “I stood by you for 20 years… now I don’t even recognize you”: Former Miss California accuses US President Trump of abandoning his most loyal supporters
- Alex Warren Says His Grammy Performance Went So Wrong He Wanted to Leave the Ceremony
- Nicole Kidman shares how she coped after ending her marriage with Keith Urban
- Rihanna shooting suspect previously targeted Billie Eilish before arrest
