European Parliament member Rima Hassan says she’s facing “genuine judicial and political harassment” for her political opinions. She was detained in France on suspicion of “apology for terrorism”.
Published On 4 Apr 20264 Apr 2026
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BLAKE Lively has broken her silence after a judge threw out most of her claims against Justin Baldoni.
Ten of the 13 claims Lively, 38, filed against Baldoni, 42, were thrown out on Thursday, April 2, by a judge.
The claims relating to harassment, defamation and conspiracy follow conflict while the pair filmed the 2024 Colleen Hoover adaptation It Ends With Us.
The remaining claims against Baldoni’s company Wayfarer Studios, which include breach of contract and retaliation, will move forward to trial.
“This case has always been and will remain focused on the devasting [sic] retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively’s reputation because she stood up for safety on the set and that is the case that is going to trial,” said Sigrid McCawley, member of Lively’s legal team, told PEOPLE.
“For Blake Lively, the greatest measure of justice is that the people and the playbook behind these coordinated digital attacks have been exposed and are already being held accountable by other women they’ve targeted.
“She looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation so that it becomes easier to detect and fight.”
District Judge Lewis Liman said Lively sued under California law but the alleged wrongful conduct took place elsewhere.
He also cited other issues in the cases, such as the fact that Lively had not signed an agreement that would have governed sexual harassment on set.
The judge said the actress could pursue her retaliation claims, among others, against Baldoni’s studio.
“Sexual harassment isn’t going forward not because the defendants did nothing wrong but because the court determined Blake Lively was an independent contractor, not an employee, said McCawley.
“We’re very pleased the Court dismissed all sexual harassment claims and every claim brought against the individual defendants: Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, Melissa Nathan, and Jennifer Abel,” said Baldoni’s attorneys, Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach to The Daily Mail.
“These were very serious allegations, and we are grateful to the Court for its careful review of the facts, law and voluminous evidence that was provided.
“What’s left is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court.”
Lively claimed that Baldoni kissed her during a scene where the script didn’t call for it and said he entered her trailer while she breastfed.
The actress also claimed that Baldoni tried to harm her reputation after she asserted he had created a problematic work environment.
Baldoni claimed Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, tried to tarnish his reputation, engaged in extortion, and hijacked creative control of the romance film.
Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake was dismissed by a judge in November.
The pair will now appear in court on May 18 in New York.
Legal representatives for both have said Baldoni and Lively both plan to testify.
BLAKE Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Justin Baldoni has been dismissed, just weeks before going to trial.
The actress alleged that her It Ends with Us co-star and director, Justin, engaged in inappropriate conduct during filming.
On Thursday, a judge threw out her sexual harassment claims, according to TMZ, which broke the story.
However, Blake’s numerous other allegations, including retaliation, will go to trial next month.
The Gossip Girl alum claimed that Justin attempted to harm her reputation after she asserted he had created a problematic work environment.
Meanwhile, Justin alleged that Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, tried to tarnish his reputation, engaged in extortion, and hijacked creative control of the romance film.
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He initially filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake, though that was dismissed by a judge in November.
Blake and Justin are set to appear in court on May 18.
The legal dispute has also involved Blake’s BFF, Taylor Swift, and is reported to have caused tension between the two.
In January, The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed that Taylor’s upcoming wedding to NFL star Travis Kelce could be impacted by Blake’s ongoing court battle with Justin.
Shocking personal texts between Taylor and Blake discussing Blake’s challenges with Justin were unsealed in the lawsuit.
According to TMZ, the singer could be called as a hostile witness for the defense in court, which is scheduled to take place shortly before her fairytale wedding to Travis.
The U.S. Sun exclusively revealed that Travis has urged Taylor to distance herself from the situation and to set firm boundaries.
Blake and Justin’s feud began when they started filming It Ends with Us in May 2023, in which they played love interests.
The movie premiered in August 2024, and Blake made her complaint about Justin’s behavior shortly after.
At the time of publishing, neither Blake nor Justin has commented on the dismissal.
Last week, Blake shared an Instagram post about her “emotional roller coaster” after traveling to Wales to watch Wrexham AFC play.
Her husband, Ryan, has co-owned the team with fellow actor Rob McElhenney since 2021.
Blake posted a slideshow of photos of her smiling at various locations during the trip.
A federal judge has dismissed Blake Lively’s sexual harassment claims against her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni, sharply narrowing a case that has become one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal battles.
In a ruling issued Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s suit, including harassment, defamation and conspiracy claims. The remaining claims — centered on retaliation, along with breach of contract and related allegations — will proceed to trial.
Sigrid McCawley, a member of Lively’s legal team, said the case will now move forward on retaliation claims, which they described as its central focus from the outset.
“This case has always been and will remain focused on the devastating retaliation and the extraordinary steps the defendants took to destroy Blake Lively’s reputation because she stood up for safety on the set, and that is the case that is going to trial,” McCawley said. “She looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this form of online retaliation.”
McCawley added that the dismissal of the harassment claims was based on the court’s determination that Lively was an independent contractor rather than an employee, not a finding that the alleged conduct did not occur.
The decision marks the latest turn in a sprawling dispute that has played out across multiple lawsuits and raised broader questions about workplace conduct, free speech and the limits of retaliation claims in the post-#MeToo era.
The legal fight traces back to the production and release of “It Ends With Us,” the 2024 romantic drama that grossed roughly $350 million worldwide but became overshadowed by reports of a rift between its two leads.
In late 2024, Lively accused Baldoni of inappropriate on-set behavior, including comments about her appearance and alleged retaliation after she raised concerns. Baldoni has denied the allegations, arguing that Lively sought to wrest creative control of the film and damage his reputation.
The case has unfolded alongside a parallel legal offensive from Baldoni, who filed a sweeping $400-million countersuit accusing Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and others — including the New York Times — of defamation and extortion. That lawsuit was dismissed in June, with Liman finding the claims legally insufficient.
At the same time, Lively has sought to frame the dispute as a test case for California’s relatively new law protecting people who speak publicly about sexual misconduct. Advocacy groups including Equal Rights Advocates, Child USA and Sanctuary for Families have backed her efforts, warning that allowing retaliatory defamation claims to proceed could chill survivors from coming forward. The statute, enacted in 2023, is designed to shield individuals from being sued for speaking out about harassment, provided their statements are not made with actual malice — a legal standard that has become central to the broader fight between the two sides.
Thursday’s ruling does not resolve the broader questions raised by the case but significantly narrows the terrain ahead of a trial scheduled to begin in May. While the judge found that Lively’s harassment claims did not meet legal standards and will not go to a jury, he ruled that some of the underlying conduct could still be considered as part of her retaliation claims.
The two sides previously attempted mediation in February without reaching a settlement.
Representatives for Baldoni did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
USC has settled a lawsuit with a former high-ranking athletic department official who alleged the university allowed former athletic director Mike Bohn to racially harass and discriminate against her, then fired her when she voiced concerns about Bohn’s behavior.
Joyce Bell Limbrick was the highest-ranking Black and female official in USC’s athletic department when she was fired by the university in September 2023, four months after Bohn resigned amid an internal investigation into his conduct and the culture of the department. Bell Limbrick filed suit early last year, accusing USC of wrongful termination.
That dispute was settled out of court this week. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
When reached by The Times, Bell Limbrick declined to comment. Bohn has never publicly addressed the allegations.
While the lawsuit never made it to trial, it nonetheless offered the most detailed account yet of the conduct that led to Bohn’s resignation.
Bell Limbrick filed a Title IX complaint with the university against Bohn in October 2022, after an incident in which she says Bohn punched her on the arm at a USC volleyball match. That complaint ultimately compelled an investigation, during which, according to her complaint, Bell Limbrick told USC officials of “Bohn’s history and rumors of inappropriate and unwanted touching involving … other females at both Cincinnati and USC.”
The university hired an outside law firm that specializes in institutional responses to racial and sexual harassment and discrimination to investigate Bohn five months later. The Times learned of that investigation shortly thereafter, as well as a previous investigation into Bohn’s conduct at Cincinnati, and in May, asked both Bohn and USC about those concerns.
Bohn resigned a day later.
Soon after that, the university fired Bell Limbrick, citing “a pattern of poor performance.” She was the only member of an 11-member executive team to lose her job and, according to the complaint, had just been awarded a “merit increase” on account of her “overall job performance.”
Bell Limbrick worked at USC for nine years, initially as the director of athletic compliance, before Bohn was hired in 2019. Shortly after he became athletic director, Bohn promoted Bell Limbrick to senior woman administrator, one of the highest-ranking positions in the department. According to her complaint, she had been one of the few Black women to hold such a position at a major American university.
“Ms. Bell Limbrick had a thriving career at USC and she loved her work. Then, Mike Bohn arrived,” her attorney, J. Bernard Alexander, said in a statement in 2025.
”[Bohn’s] incessant, racially charged remarks made Joyce feel uncomfortable and undervalued, but more than that — he actively isolated her from the executive team and undermined her work. She already was vulnerable as the only Black woman on the team, and rather than support her, the university allowed Bohn to make her life hell.”
Her complaint detailed inappropriate comments made in front of USC donors and staff, as well as insensitive or discriminatory remarks made in her presence. At the time, The Times spoke with six people with knowledge of the department’s inner workings who largely corroborated her claims about Bohn’s conduct.
Bohn declined to respond to The Times’ questions about his conduct leading the athletic department, but he provided a statement to The Times on the day of his resignation in May 2023 stating he would “always be proud of leading the program out of the most tumultuous times in the history of the profession.”
“In moving on, it is important now that I focus on being present with my treasured family, addressing ongoing health challenges, and reflecting on how I can be impactful in the future,” Bohn said in the statement.
