A judge has thrown out Blake Lively‘s sexual harassment claims against Justin Baldoni, gutting her headline-grabbing lawsuit that followed the release of the domestic violence film “It Ends With Us.”

In a ruling issued Thursday, Judge Lewis Liman threw out 10 of the 13 claims in Lively’s lawsuit, including claims of harassment, defamation and conspiracy. He allowed three claims to proceed to a trial, including claims of breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation.

Lively, the female lead, accused Baldoni, the director and co-star, of sexually harassing her on set by making unwelcome comments about her appearance and weight.

Liman ruled that Lively could not bring a sexual harassment claim under federal law because she was an independent contractor. He also ruled that she could not file a harassment claim under California law because the filming took place in New Jersey.

She also alleged that Baldoni hired an army of publicists to retaliate against her by seeding and amplifying negative stories online. The judge ruled that two retaliation claims deserved to go to a jury.

“We’re very pleased the Court dismissed all sexual harassment claims and every claim brought against the individual defendants,” said attorneys Alexandria Shapiro and Jonathan Bach, who represent Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, and their publicists. “These were very serious allegations, and we are grateful to the court for its careful review of the facts, law and voluminous evidence that was provided. What’s left is a significantly narrowed case, and we look forward to presenting our defense to the remaining claims in court.”

Lively’s camp did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Baldoni and his lawyers argued that Lively used exaggerated charges of misconduct to seize control of the film and then to cast Baldoni as a villain. Baldoni’s team argued that Lively’s allegations about on-set behavior amounted to nothing more than “minor grievances,” and that he had a right to defend himself from what he saw a false allegations.

“It Ends With Us” grossed $350 million worldwide, making it a remarkable hit in 2024. But the film’s release was shadowed by persistent rumors of a rift between the two leads, which has led to more than a year of messy litigation.

“It’s all a fucking disaster,” wrote Tom Rothman, film chair at Sony Pictures Entertainment, in an August 2024 email summing up the situation. “None of the who is right or wrong matters at all. The mess is the story now and will define the film. No one can watch the film in the same way. Tragic.”

A trial is due to take place in May. Baldoni and Lively attended a mediation session with a magistrate judge in February, but that did not result in a settlement.

The fight has involved several high-profile names, most notably Taylor Swift, whose lawyers have sought to keep her out of it. In a text message to Lively in the fall of 2024, Swift referred disparagingly to Baldoni, saying “I think this bitch knows something is coming because he’s gotten out his tiny violin.”

Lively also messaged Swift that Baldoni was a “clown,” and a “doofus director.”

As Jewish families across the United States celebrate Passover, an intensifying threat environment is shaping how communities approach the holiday and beyond. Tensions tied to the war with Iran, attacks against Jews and Jewish institutions have led to concerns over the community’s safety and security.

From Miami to New York, officials are responding to what they describe as a sustained and evolving threat landscape. At a pre-Passover security strategy briefing at the NYPD, Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told Jewish community leaders, “It is clear that we will be in a heightened state of alert for the foreseeable future,” a warning that comes as policymakers and security experts point to a widening gap between the level of threat facing Jewish communities and the federal resources available to protect them.

Despite security fears, funding for houses of worship in the United States remains below what experts say is needed to meet the current threat, even as antisemitic incidents continue to rise.

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According to data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, anti-Jewish hate crimes have consistently accounted for the largest share of religion-based crime incidents in the United States in recent years.

The gap between risk and resources has become a central concern for those working directly with affected communities. Scott Feltman, Preventative Security Analyst and Executive Vice President at One Israel Fund, said no religious group should have to choose between remaining open and ensuring safety.

“No one should feel unsafe walking into a synagogue, church, mosque or temple in New Jersey or anywhere in America,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N., told Fox News Digital, who in recent weeks has been advocating for an increase in federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) funding to $1 billion in fiscal year 2027, a proposal currently under consideration in Congress.

Recent attacks underscore the urgency. In Michigan, a man rammed a vehicle into a synagogue in West Bloomfield and opened fire while more than 100 preschool children were inside. In California, two Jewish men speaking Hebrew were reportedly assaulted in a restaurant while the attacker shouted antisemitic slurs.

Jesse Arm, Manhattan Institute vice president for external affairs, told Fox News Digital, “What the latest attempted massacre made clear — when an Islamist from Dearborn via Lebanon tried to ram an explosive-laden truck into a synagogue preschool in my hometown of West Bloomfield, Michigan — is that security works. The presence of trained, armed guards helped save the lives of 140 American children and their caretakers.

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“But the broader lesson for the Jewish community is that safety cannot be outsourced entirely to the federal government or to any administration. It requires a cultural shift: normalizing lawful firearm ownership and training, hardening facilities at every level, and investing in the day schools, camps and identity-forming institutions that build communities confident and rooted enough to defend themselves.” 

Arm had praise for the administration in its fight against antisemitism: “President Trump has been a godsend for American Jewry. His administration has been unambiguous in its commitment to Jewish safety — naming antisemitism as a serious national security threat, taking a hard line on campus radicalism and prioritizing the kind of border security and counter-jihadist vigilance that the previous administration routinely soft-pedaled. American Jews should recognize that and be immensely grateful for it.”
 

JEWISH SUMMER CAMPS RAMPING UP SECURITY MEASURES AMID RISING ANTISEMITISM — AND PARENTS ARE FOOTING THE BILL

The federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, administered by FEMA, currently allows at-risk institutions to apply for up to $200,000 per location. In practice, however, many organizations receive less than that amount, often after delays that can stretch one to three years, and demand for the program has exceeded available funding in recent years, with applications far outpacing the number of grants awarded, according to federal data.

Security experts add that the delay between identifying a threat and receiving funding can leave institutions without the protections recommended by security professionals during periods of heightened risk.

To address those gaps, experts recommend layered security measures including trained personnel, reinforced entry points, surveillance systems, controlled access and emergency response training, which they estimate require between $400,000 and $500,000 in funding per location, roughly double the current federal cap. Security experts say both the funding level and the timeline for distribution have become central concerns as incidents continue to rise.

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Steven Ingber, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, said much of the financial burden for security continues to fall on the Jewish community itself rather than being fully addressed through government support.

As that debate continues, officials are urging institutions to remain vigilant and maintain close coordination with local law enforcement, particularly during periods of increased tension tied to global events.

Fox News Digital reached out to FEMA for comment but did not receive a response.

Legal fight over Trump’s enormous construction project will continue despite panel’s approval.

A planning commission has approved President Donald Trump’s proposal to build an enormous ballroom at the White House, an effort to put his personal touch on a national landmark that has stoked backlash and legal challenges.

The National Capital Planning Commission, tasked with overseeing proposed construction on federal sites in the Washington, DC area, voted in favour of the project on Thursday.

“I believe that, in time, this ballroom will be considered every bit as much of a national treasure as the other key components of the White House,” said Will Scharf, who chairs the commission and is Trump’s former personal lawyer.

But the future of the ballroom, to be built on the site of the East Wing of the White House that Trump had demolished in October, remains uncertain. A federal judge ruled earlier this week that the project could not move forward without Congressional authorisation.

“The President of the United States is the steward of the White House for future generations of First Families. He is not, however, the owner!” US District Judge Richard Leon stated in a ruling on Tuesday.

The US president has paid little mind to the contested legality of the project, knocking down the East Wing of the White House with little prior notice and proceeding with construction despite legal challenges.

Trump reacted angrily to the Tuesday ruling over social media, stating that the ballroom was being financed through private donations rather than federal funds and that previous construction had not required approval from Congress.

“In the Ballroom case, the Judge said we have to get Congressional approval. He is WRONG!” Trump said on Wednesday. “Congressional approval has never been given on anything, in these circumstances, big or small, having to do with construction at the White House.”

The 12-person commission, which includes three people appointed by Trump, was originally set to vote on the project in March. The date was moved back due to a large number of people signing up to comment on the project, with a large majority strongly opposed.

The 90,000-square-foot (8,400-square-metre) is currently estimated to cost about $400m, and Trump has expressed his hope that it will be completed before he completes his current term in early 2029. The price of the ballroom has expanded over time, with a statement from the White House in July 2025 estimating that the project would cost $200m.

Private funding from wealthy donors has also raised questions about whether the project has become a means of buying influence with the White House.

“The American people have weighed in on this project, and they hate it,” Jon Golinger, democracy advocate with Public Citizen, said as he criticised Trump over the project. “He needs to put the White House back the way the people gave it to him.”