A judge has dismissed Blake Lively’s claims against social media guru Jed Wallace in the latest development in her ongoing legal action against her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.
Lively filed a lawsuit in December 2024 alleging Baldoni sexually harassed her and exhibited behavior that caused her “severe emotional distress.”
She also alleged that Baldoni was behind an alleged smear campaign designed to “bury” her, which included fan backlash as part of a carefully orchestrated effort by Baldoni’s PR team.
Wallace, who is based in Austin, Texas, was named in the suit as the social media operative hired by Baldoni to weaponize a “digital army” against her reputation.
However, Judge Lewis Liman ruled on November 5 that Wallace falls outside his court's jurisdiction because he lacks sufficient connection to New York to be sued there.
Lively could still decide to sue Wallace in Texas.
In a statement to Variety, a representative for Lively said: “The Court ruled that Ms Lively’s claims can and should be brought in a different court.
“Ms Lively is evaluating her many options for doing so, and looks forward to trial on all of her claims against Baldoni, Heath, Nathan and the rest of the Wayfarer defendants in March in New York.”
Wallace filed his own defamation suit against Lively in Texas back in February.
Earlier this week, Baldoni’s $400m defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, formally ended.
Back in June, Judge Liman dismissed the suit after finding that Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment were legally protected.
He gave Baldoni until the end of October to file an amended complaint, but the writer-director did not respond.
According to documents seen by People, Judge Liman also said he’d contacted all parties on October 17 to warn them he was preparing to enter a final judgment to conclude the case.
Lively was reportedly the only one to respond, asking the judge to declare the final judgment and stating that her request for legal fees should remain active. The judge agreed to this request.
The Independent has approached representatives for Baldoni and Lively for comment.
In a statement to The Independent when the suit was initially dismissed, Lively’s lawyers said: “Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times.”
“As we have said from day one, this ‘$400m’ lawsuit was a sham, and the court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, [businessman] Steve Sarowitz, [PR Melissa] Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”
Lively’s lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial starting March 9, 2026.
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