Last week, the court dealt a setback to Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
Technicalities — her employment status during filming and the location of production — meant, the judge ruled, that she has no legal protections allowing her to sue for sexual harassment.
With no settlement, they’re going to court.
All of this has exacted a terrible toll upon Lively who, after all, never imagined that making a film would turn her life upside down for years to come.
When this is over, she’s ‘excited for some quiet time’
People reports on the deep emotional toll that this past year and a half of hell have taken on Lively.
“She didn’t file this lawsuit thinking it would be easy,” the insider acknowledged.
“She knew it would be a long, challenging process,” the source affirmed.
“But,” the insider explained, “she felt it was something she needed to do.”
According to the source: “The legal battle has been emotionally taxing, but Blake has stayed focused.”
The insider emphasized that Lively’s allegations against Baldoni have “never changed and she’s looking forward to her day in court.”
At least, as much as anyone can look forward to seeing the inside of a courtroom.
“She’s balancing this with all her responsibilities at home,” the source emphasized.
“As a mom,” the insider then explained, “she has many other priorities which help her stay grounded.”
The source added that Lively is “excited for some quiet time this summer with her family once this is behind her.”
No settlement in sight
On Monday, April 6, Lively and Baldoni attended a meeting with a judge in New York.
However, both parties declined a last-minute settlement attempt, The Daily Mail reported.
The judge had asked both legal teams for any updates on“their client’s updated settlement position” ahead of going to trial.
In other words, after last week’s changes that wiped out the sexual harassment portion of the lawsuit, did they want to settle and call it a day?
They did not, and will proceed to trial.
As we reported, the majority of Lively’s points of contention within her lawsuit against Baldoni were dismissed by the court.
Because she was, the judge found, an independent contractor when working on It Ends With Us, she was not technically an employee.
Therefore, Title VII federal protections against sexual harassment do not extend to her. Truly an appalling indictment of our legal system.
Additionally, she cannot sue him under California law over the sexual harassment. They filmed in New Jersey, not California.
However, key claims remain: breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting in retaliation.
What will the court decide?
Many would argue that, in the court of popular opinion, Baldoni seems to have won, even if his lead has been shrinking steadily for the past year and a half.
But isn’t the alleged smear campaign, which Baldoni denies despite what appears to be evidence of a conspiracy to defame Lively, sort of the heart of the retaliation lawsuit?
Many are bracing themselves for a bad outcome.
Too many times, the world has watched what appears to be a solid case with solid evidence fall apart. It’s sort of like watching election results come in, in the worst way.
Even so, we hope that the outcome will be just and correct.