Justin Baldoni Seeks to Dismiss Blake Lively Harassment Case Ahead of 2026 Trial

Justin Baldoni’s legal team is asking a federal court to dismiss Blake Lively’s s**** harassment lawsuit before it goes to trial next March, according to court documents reviewed by Variety.

In a motion for summary judgment filed Wednesday, Baldoni’s attorneys argued that Lively’s claims are mostly a “litany of minor grievances” and do not meet the legal standard for harassment.

The motion asserts that the actions she describes do not qualify as an “adverse employment action,” which is required to prove retaliation.

Lively filed the lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director, as well as producers and publicists associated with the film. She claims she faced retaliation after raising complaints about on-set conduct, including a social media “smear campaign” where Instagram users allegedly called her a “bully” and a “mean girl.”

Baldoni’s lawyers said the steps he and his team took were defensive. “Baldoni sought the advice of a crisis-management public relations firm, as any responsible person in his position would do,” the motion reads. “He did so for the benefit of both his professional reputation and the newly released film. He relied on media professionals to boost his image and assure that any coverage would be balanced and accurate. None of that is against the law.”

Lively’s team has pointed to text messages from Baldoni’s publicists showing they were monitoring social media reactions and attempting to “boost” posts that were positive toward Baldoni and critical of Lively.

Previously, Baldoni and his allies sued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for defamation, but that case was dismissed because a person cannot sue someone for filing a lawsuit against them.

The summary judgment filing cites evidence obtained during discovery, though much of it is redacted due to confidentiality designations.

In a related case, social media expert Jed Wallace sued Lively in Texas, claiming she damaged his reputation by saying he was involved in Baldoni’s alleged smear campaign. That lawsuit was dismissed because the Texas court said it did not have jurisdiction over Lively, who lives in New York. Similarly, Lively’s claims against Wallace were dismissed in New York because that court does not have jurisdiction over Wallace, who lives in Texas.

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