Lively's team frames her producer email as passion for the project — she called it 'the highest honor in film' and wanted credit for work that meant more to her than anything in her twenty-year career.
That same email just proved she's an independent contractor, not an employee — which is why Judge Liman used it to throw out 10 of her 13 claims. Fans already started an online petition demanding her PGA tag be rescinded.
Judge Lewis Liman cited Lively's January 25, 2024 email with 77 bullet points in Thursday's ruling that dismissed most of her claims. The trial is set for May 18, and Lively's lawyer says she 'looks forward to testifying at trial.'
You can't brag about having 'immense' power and control in one breath and claim you're a helpless employee in the next. The judge saw right through it — and now only three claims survive.
Blake Lively's desperate plea for a producer credit just blew up in her face. In a lengthy January 25, 2024 email to the Producers Guild of America obtained by the Daily Mail — and now being used against her in court — the "Gossip Girl" alum wrote to "bare her heart," calling her off-camera work on "It Ends With Us" more important than anything in her "twenty year career." She even noted that in her household, which includes husband Ryan Reynolds, the PGA tag is "the highest honor in film."
The 5-page email contained 77 bullet points detailing what she claimed was her producer work — rewrites after three actresses turned down the role of Jennie Bloom, calling in fashion contacts for discounted or gifted clothing to lower production costs, and onboarding freelance team members. She wrote she was "grateful" her contract was revised to reflect the "immense work" she put in, and asked for the "great honor" of receiving a PGA tag. She acknowledged it was "absurd" to ask so late, but claimed without the official title of Producer, her "hands" were tied.
Here's where it gets messy for Lively. On Thursday, Judge Lewis Liman cited those exact bullet points in a devastating ruling — throwing out 10 of her 13 claims against Justin Baldoni. The judge determined she was not an employee but an "independent contractor" who exercised "substantial contractual control over her participation in the film." That distinction killed her sexual harassment claims dead in their tracks. Only three claims survive: retaliation, aiding and abetting in retaliation, and breach of contract.
Lively called the developments "unfathomably painful" in a Facebook Story on Friday, saying it's "a privilege to be able to stand up" that she won't waste. Her legal team doubled down, saying she "looks forward to testifying at trial and continuing to shine a light on this vicious form of online retaliation." The trial is set for May 18. Meanwhile, fans have already started an online petition calling for her PGA tag to be rescinded — because nothing says "producer power" like internet strangers deciding your credit shouldn't count.
