A federal judge on Thursday dismissed actor Blake Lively’s sexual harassment claims against co-star Justin Baldoni over conduct on the set of the 2024 movie “It Ends With Us” but left intact retaliation and contract-related claims to be decided by a jury in May.

The ruling by New York District Judge Lewis Liman puts to rest Lively’s most substantial claims, which also included defamation and conspiracy, in the high-profile celebrity battle.

Lively sued Baldoni, who also directed the movie, in December alleging she was a victim of sexual harassment on the set and suffered retaliation from Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer after she complained about his behavior.

Liman dismissed 10 of the 13 claims. In his ruling, the judge found Lively was an independent contractor and therefore was not entitled to bring sexual harassment claims under the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The law prohibits employment discrimination based on gender.

“The crux of these claims is that the Defendants harassed Lively and subjected her to a hostile work environment on the basis of her sex and/or gender,” Liman wrote. “Lively’s allegations center largely around conduct which occurred on the set of the film during the first phase of production in New Jersey. This on-set conduct occurred outside California and cannot support applying the statutes extraterritorially.”

Lively brought her claims under California employment laws.

When analyzing the sexual harassment claims, the judge said Lively’s accusations must be viewed in context.

“Under this framing, it would be difficult to view Baldoni’s conduct as reflecting hostility or bias based on gender,” Liman wrote. “He was acting in the scene.”

Creative artists must have some space to experiment within the bounds of an agreed script without fear of being held liable for sexual harassment, he stated.

The judge found some of the evidence Lively’s attorneys presented might show Baldoni’s production company planned to damage Lively’s reputation and destroy her career.

Lively’s attorney, Sigrid McCawley, told The Epoch Times that the judge’s decision does not let the defendants off the hook.

“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,” McCawley said in an email.

The case will remain focused on the retaliation Lively allegedly faced, according to her attorney.

“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.

“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,” McCawley added.

Baldoni’s attorneys didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment about the ruling.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Baldoni’s attorneys Alexandra Shapiro and Jonathan Bach stressed the court dismissed the sexual harassment claims, as well as all claims brought against the director, Wayfarer Studios cofounder Steve Sarowitz and public relations specialist Melissa Nathan, among others. “What’s left is a significantly narrowed case,” they said.

All filming took place at a set in New Jersey, where Lively alleges various incidents took place and contributed to a hostile work environment. The film premiered in New York on Aug. 6, 2024.

“It Ends With Us” was an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but turns into domestic violence.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.