NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A federal judge in New York tossed out actor Blake Lively\u2019s sexual harassment claims Thursday against actor Justin Baldoni over their roles in the movie \u201cIt Ends With Us,\u201d but he left intact two retaliation claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The written ruling by Judge Lewis J. Liman in Manhattan came after Lively sued Baldoni last December, alleging sexual harassment among over a dozen claims against Baldoni and other parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A trial is scheduled to start on May 18. A brief phone conference was conducted after Liman issued his ruling. On the call, lawyers discussed the process of jury selection for the trial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios had countersued Lively and her husband, \u201cDeadpool\u201d actor Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of defamation and extortion. The judge dismissed Baldoni\u2019s claims last June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his ruling, Liman determined that Lively was an independent contractor rather than an employee. On that basis, he said she was not entitled to bring sexual harassment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That law prohibits employment discrimination on various grounds, including gender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an analysis of the sexual harassment claims, the judge said Lively\u2019s claims had to be viewed in the context of the movie they were working on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLively claims that during filming, Baldoni leaned in and gestured as if he was intending to kiss her, and that he kissed her forehead, rubbed his face and mouth against her neck, put his thumb to her mouth and flicked her lower lip, caressed her, and leaned into her neck, saying \u2018it smells good,\u2019\u201d the judge wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said there was no question that the conduct would support a hostile work environment claim if it happened on a factory floor or in an executive suite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the judge noted, Baldoni was \u201cacting in the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAssuming he was improvising, the conduct was not so far beyond what might reasonably be expected to take place between two characters during a slow dancing scene such that an inference of hostile treatment on the basis of sex would arise. At least in isolation, the conduct was directed to Lively\u2019s character rather than to Lively herself,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCreative artists, no less than comedy room writers, must have some amount of space to experiment within the bounds of an agreed script without fear of being held liable for sexual harassment,\u201d Liman added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lawyers in the case did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt Ends With Us,\u201d an adaptation of Colleen Hoover\u2019s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August 2024, exceeding box office expectations with a $50 million debut. But the movie\u2019s release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lively appeared in the 2005 film \u201cThe Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants\u201d and the TV series \u201cGossip Girl\u201d from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including \u201cThe Town\u201d and \u201cThe Shallows.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Baldoni starred in the TV comedy \u201cJane the Virgin,\u201d directed the 2019 film \u201cFive Feet Apart\u201d and wrote \u201cMan Enough,\u201d a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n