Blake Lively Addresses ‘Unfathomably Painful’ Justin Baldoni Case Using Dragon Emoji, Vows to Keep ‘Fighting’ amid Setback

Jack SmartSat, April 4, 2026 at 12:58 AM UTC

0

Blake Lively on Feb. 11Credit: TIMOTHY A.CLARY / AFP via Getty -

Blake Lively posted a statement to her Instagram Stories on Friday, April 3, speaking out about her legal case against It Ends with Us director-costar Justin Baldoni

A judge dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni on April 2, including those relating to sexual harassment; her claims involving a retaliatory smear campaign will continue to trial

“I will never stop doing my part in fighting to expose the systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence and retaliate against victims,” Lively wrote, adding an evocative dragon emoji

Blake Lively has a message for her fans and followers ahead of her trial with Justin Baldoni.

“I will never stop doing my part in fighting to expose the systems and people who seek to harm, shame, silence and retaliate against victims,” the actress-producer, 38, wrote in a statement posted on her Instagram Stories on Friday, April 3. She also posted her attorney Michael Gottlieb’s earlier statement reacting to Thursday’s dismissal of the majority of Lively’s claims against her It Ends with Us director-costar.

“I know it's a privilege to be able to stand up. I will not waste it,” Lively said, adding a dragon emoji — a possible reference to the alleged texts she sent comparing herself to Game of Thrones character Khaleesi and calling husband Ryan Reynolds and friend Taylor Swift her dragons, per Baldoni’s January 2025 countersuit against her. (That lawsuit, involving allegations of extortion and defamation, was dismissed in June 2025, with the Jane the Virgin alum’s legal team opting not to refile amended versions of the claims.)

Blake Lively; Justin BaldoniCredit: Udo Salters/Patrick McMullan; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Lively first filed a sexual-harassment complaint against Baldoni in December 2024 after behind-the-scenes conflict during It Ends with Us, alleging misconduct on the Colleen Hoover adaptation’s set and a retaliatory smear campaign, which he has denied.

On Thursday, federal judge Lewis J. Liman threw out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims against Baldoni, including those relating to harassment. A narrower set of allegations, including breach of contract and the retaliation claim against Baldoni’s company Wayfarer Studios, will move forward to the May 18 trial.

Advertisement

Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively in 'It Ends with Us'Credit: Nicole Rivelli

“I'm grateful for the Court's ruling which allows the heart of my case to be presented to a jury next month, and for the ability to finally tell my story in full at trial, for my own sake, but also for those who don't have the same opportunity to... many of whom I have known and loved deeply in my life, and the countless I'll never know,” wrote Lively in her statement.

“The last thing I wanted in my life was a lawsuit, but I brought this case because of the pervasive RETALIATION I faced, and continue to, for privately and professionally asking for a safe working environment for myself and others. I hope the Court's decision shows others that, as unfathomably painful as it is, you can speak up,” continued the Gossip Girl alum.

She then encouraged fans to not “be distracted by the digital soap opera,” adding that “the physical pain from digital violence is very real. It is abuse. And it's everywhere… my claims won't be the first or last time you'll see examples of the extreme dangers of retaliation and digital warfare.”

Lively concluded her statement, “I couldn't begin to stand up if not for the countless who've gone before me - and the masses who are still around us all - creating laws, social change, sparking conversations, rallying, working privately and publicly, risking and sometimes losing everything for the safety of others in all spaces. Some whose names we know, most we don't. Thank you. All of you… Your support keeps me going.”

Lively v. Wayfarer Studios et al. is scheduled for trial on May 18 in New York.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”