Did Blake Lively Lose? — The Legal Trap of 'Independent Contractor' Hidden Behind 10 of 13 Dismissed Claims
On April 2, 2026, federal Judge Lewis Liman issued a 152-page ruling dismissing 10 of 13 claims filed by Blake Lively against Justin Baldoni, primarily because Lively's independent contractor status placed her outside Title VII protections. The core legal reasoning was that Lively exercised substantial contractual control over hair, makeup, script changes, and scheduling — paradoxically, the very hallmarks of her star power that stripped her of federal harassment protections. However, three remaining claims — retaliation, aiding retaliation, and breach of contract — survive against It Ends With Us Movie LLC and Wayfarer Studios, with Baldoni personally removed from those claims. These proceed to a May 18 jury trial that could redefine how Hollywood addresses digital retaliation campaigns and the structural vulnerability of gig-based creative workers.