00:00Blake Lively is clapping back on Instagram after a court ruling tossed out a huge chunk of the
00:05allegations against her former director and co-star, Justin Baldoni. Sexual harassment is out,
00:11retaliation is still in. In response to the legal blow, Lively shared a lengthy statement with her
00:1641 million Instagram followers, writing,
00:19The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit, but I brought this case because of the pervasive
00:24retaliation I faced and continued to for privately and professionally asking for a safe working
00:30environment for myself and others. She said she's grateful to be able to finally tell her story in
00:36full at trial next month. Yep, the Gossip Girl actress is ready to take the stand. This week,
00:43she and Baldoni reportedly rejected a last-ditch effort by a New York City judge to get them to
00:48settle the case. It ends with us, not so fast. Last week, Baldoni's team told Page Six they were
00:54very pleased to see the very serious sexual harassment claims were dismissed. Only three
00:59claims remain, breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation. Meanwhile,
01:06Lively's team claimed it was due to a technicality, since she was deemed an independent contractor,
01:10rather than an employee. It all goes back to the summer of 2024. The testy press tour for It Ends
01:17With Us became major tabloid fodder. Particularly damaging was this resurfaced viral interview
01:23for a different film. Norwegian reporter Kjersti Fla said it made me want to quit my job. Take a look.
01:30First of all, congrats on your little bump. Congrats on your little bump. What about my bump?
01:39You've got two nice ones. And these? Well, the negative press didn't hurt the box office. It Ends With Us
01:45was a
01:45smash. Then, in December of that year, Lively accused Baldoni of on-set sexual harassment and retaliation.
01:52Baldoni denied the claims and hit back with a since-thrown-out $400 million countersuit against her and her
01:59husband, Ryan Reynolds. Other A-listers were dragged into the mess. Lively's BFF slash dragon, Taylor Swift,
02:06and Ryan Reynolds' ex-wife Scar Jo, who is now married to Colin Jost. Well, mark your calendars,
02:14people. The trial is set to start May 18th. It's up to Team Lively to prove if Justin Baldoni and
02:20Wayfarer Studios launched a smear campaign to, quote, bury her. In the court of public opinion,
02:26however, most people have already made up their minds.
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