Actor Blake Lively has officially broken her silence following a significant legal setback, reaffirming her resolve to pursue co-star Justin Baldoni in court.
Despite a New York judge recently dismissing the sexual harassment portion of her lawsuit, Lively took to Instagram Stories on Saturday, April 4, 2026, to declare that she will not be “silenced” or “shamed.” The high-profile legal battle is now confirmed to proceed to a jury trial on May 18.
The court’s decision to drop the sexual harassment claim was based on jurisdictional technicalities and Lively’s status as an independent contractor during the production of It Ends With Us.
However, the “heart of the case”—claims of defamation and pervasive retaliation—remains active. Lively alleges that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios orchestrated a sophisticated digital smear campaign against her in 2024 to discredit her preemptively before the film’s release. She described the emotional and physical toll of this “digital violence,” noting that her decision to sue was a last resort fueled by a need to expose systems that harm victims.
Baldoni and his legal team, led by attorney Bryan Freedman, have consistently denied any coordination behind the online backlash Lively faced, maintaining that the public criticism was organic. With court-ordered settlement talks failing in February, both parties are now bracing for a public showdown. Lively concluded her statement with a pointed message for her former co-star: “See you in court.”