Lawyers for Justin Baldoni argued in court that sexual harassment couldn’t have occurred involving Blake Lively during the filming of ‘It Ends With Us,’ characterizing the movie as having a ‘hot and sexy’ tone.
Legal teams are arguing that the accusations made by the actress against Justin Baldoni, her co-star and the director of ‘It Ends with Us’, shouldn’t be taken seriously because the film itself involved a passionate and complicated love story.
Baldoni’s lawyers dismissed the accusations against her as minor issues and insignificant offenses, arguing they weren’t serious enough to be considered legally actionable.
During a discussion about the HBO show Heated Rivalry, someone proposed that an aggressive kiss between the two male main characters wouldn’t constitute discrimination.
Baldoni asked a New York federal court on Thursday to dismiss the claims made by Lively before the trial, which is scheduled for May.
Lively alleges she lost at least $161 million in income and suffered other damages because Baldoni harassed her and then publicly attacked her reputation online when their movie was released in the summer of 2024.
In the film, Lively portrays Lily Bloom, a florist, who begins a romance with Ryle Kincaid, a neurosurgeon played by Baldoni. The relationship unfortunately turns abusive and violent.
The judge in the case, Lewis Liman, has already thrown out a $400 million defamation lawsuit brought by Baldoni.
He did not rule on Baldoni’s motion for dismissal and said he would do so later.
Throughout the three-hour hearing, Judge Liman challenged both sides with difficult questions and often seemed doubtful about their claims.
As a longtime follower of this case, I understand it really comes down to the creation of a film – a very passionate and intimate one, dealing with strong romantic and sexual elements. That’s how Mr. Baldoni’s lawyer, Jonathan Bach, described it to the court, and it’s a point I think is crucial to understanding everything.
The actors agreed to participate understanding their roles would involve intense and sometimes difficult scenes, including intimacy, sensuality, and even abusive dynamics.
The original source material, like the book the movie is based on, included scenes meant to be passionate and alluring.
Blake Lively agreed to star in the film because she would be working closely with director Ken Baldoni to create a passionate and dramatic love story.
Judge Liman emphasized that the film’s adult content didn’t give Baldoni the right to touch Lively inappropriately.
Bach disagreed, explaining that the situation needed to be viewed within its specific context and that Lively needed to demonstrate a widespread pattern of discrimination against women.
After Bach dismissed the accusations as insignificant, the judge interrupted, pointing out that even a series of minor issues can collectively become a major problem.
Bach explained that minor complaints or insults weren’t worth addressing, and warned that it would be risky for the court to start deciding what kinds of issues were acceptable to consider.
Liman had tough questions for Esra Hudson, Lively’s lawyer, on the same matter.
Hudson said there were four instances of sexual harassment against Lively.
As a longtime supporter, I was deeply disturbed to learn about the experiences my favorite actress endured. It wasn’t just one incident, but several. There was the moment when Baldoni unexpectedly kissed and cuddled her during a dance – something that wasn’t in the script at all. Then, producer Jamey Heath allegedly walked in on her while she was changing, and she wasn’t fully dressed. To make matters worse, he apparently showed her a very graphic video of his wife giving birth, and during a sensitive scene where she was already feeling vulnerable and minimally covered, it just added to the trauma. It’s truly upsetting to hear about everything she went through.
Liman zeroed in on the dance scene.
The judge, whose brother is film director Doug Liman (known for movies like The Bourne Identity), asked if a director can adjust to and work with actors’ spontaneous performances on set.
Should we consider any unplanned physical interaction a legal issue? Or does it depend on the situation?
Hudson explained that actors are allowed to improvise, but only with everyone’s agreement. She emphasized that this agreement was missing in this particular situation.
Liman didn’t agree, stating that the idea would mean every decision made by the company’s directors would be subject to a jury’s review, which he believed was unreasonable.
The judge questioned whether, if Baldoni had instructed Lively to appear ‘sexy’ or ‘hot’, that would be considered within the director’s acceptable range of direction.
As a long-time fan, I understood Hudson to be saying that if something truly concerned the character’s development, he’d agree with it. And honestly, he implied that if that was the problem, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion – it would have been addressed already.
Liman said that it was ‘hard for me to see how that would constitute sexual harassment’.
He explained that they’re collaborating on a script, and one of them is proposing more intense scenes. He views this as a normal part of developing a creative work.
I’m completely hooked on this new series, ‘Heated Rivalry’! It features Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie as hockey rivals, and let me tell you, the chemistry is intense – both on and off the ice. There are a lot of really steamy scenes, so be warned, it’s definitely for adults!
Okay, so Bach was totally right to ask this! He was like, ‘Imagine two actors are doing a scene and one really goes for it with a kiss – a super intense one. Does anyone automatically assume it’s because of who they are, you know, their gender? It’s just… acting! Why does it have to be about anything else?! It really got me thinking, honestly. It’s like, can’t we just appreciate the performance without jumping to conclusions?
The central issue is whether this constitutes discrimination. Ms. Hudson argues it’s automatically considered sexual harassment, but the courts require evidence that it’s based on gender.
Bach reportedly wondered if every gentle touch or affectionate gesture would now require federal investigation.
The judge also considered arguments about whether Lively was an independent contractor and if Baldoni’s legal team should be penalized for potentially destroying evidence, specifically text messages that were deleted.
He will rule on all of them later.
After leaving the courthouse, Sigrid McCawley, Lively’s lawyer, explained that the case was proceeding to trial due to a large amount of evidence pointing towards Baldoni’s involvement.
She said: ‘There were multiple women who raised concerns about this workplace.
Mr. Baldoni openly discussed experiencing orgasms at work, and also spoke about non-consensual sexual acts with women.
There are mountains of evidence that prove Lively’s claim, she said.
According to McCawley, Blake Lively is determined to take the case to court. She believes she has significant proof to support her claims and wants to empower other women by doing so.
I was really surprised to hear that Taylor Swift, Blake Lively’s best friend, and Blake’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, probably won’t be called to testify at the trial. It’s a bit unexpected, honestly!
Reynolds had the opportunity to inform the jury about a meeting that took place in January 2024 at his home with Lively, where he allegedly scolded Baldoni.
Texts released on Monday show Taylor Swift repeatedly messaged Blake Lively, including once referring to Justin Baldoni with a derogatory term in 2024 after allegations against him surfaced.
The day after filing a serious complaint with California’s Civil Rights Department detailing her claims, Swift messaged Lively, telling her ‘you won’.
Ryan Reynolds, known for playing Deadpool, repeatedly contacted people in the entertainment industry – including those at Baldoni’s old agency – via email and text, urging them to take action.
According to McCawley, the trial will largely focus on the evidence provided by Blake Lively, and she’s prepared to testify.
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2026-01-22 21:50