A federal judge officially dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds on Monday.
The judge’s decision marked a major development in the high-profile legal feud involving Baldoni and Lively, which started in December 2024.
Blake Lively’s legal team recently dropped two key claims against Baldoni, though the actress’ attorneys argued that such decisions are routine in trial preparation.
The Judge gave a dismissal to Justin Baldoni’s legal efforts
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman granted a motion to dismiss Baldoni’s countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane.
The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s defamation case against The New York Times, according to ABC 13.
According to court documents obtained by Page Six, the judge found that the lawsuit lacked sufficient grounds to move forward.
Judge Liman noted that Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company “have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her (California Civil Rights Department) complaint, which are privileged.”
As for Baldoni’s legal efforts against the NYT, Judge Liman stated in his opinion that “the alleged facts indicate that the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened.”
He also wrote that “The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively’s version of events.”
Judge Liman says Baldoni’s claims fall short of defamation standards
According to the Judge’s decision, Baldoni’s lawsuit “alleged that Reynolds and Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the ‘Times’ made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign.”
However, Judge Liman wrote that “The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the ‘Times’ would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.”
Baldoni’s lawsuit can still proceed, but on limited claims
While the bulk of his case has been dismissed, the court has given Baldoni’s legal team until June 23 to amend his two remaining claims: breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract.
It remains unclear whether Justin Baldoni still plans to proceed with revised filings.
Lively’s legal team has called Judge Liman’s ruling a ‘complete vindication’ for the actress
Blake Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, responded to the court’s decision in a statement, describing it as a “total victory and a complete vindication” for their client.
“As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it,” they said, adding that they are looking “forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages” over Baldoni’s “abusive litigation.”
Representatives for Reynolds and Baldoni have not issued a comment about the matter as of writing.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle has been a bitter back-and-forth
Baldoni and Lively’s legal dispute initially started in late 2024. On December 20, Blake Lively submitted a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department accusing Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment during the production of the film It Ends With Us.
Baldoni responded with a countersuit, taking aim at The New York Times and alleging that the outlet’s coverage of Lively’s complaint had crossed legal lines. The lawsuit accused the paper of libel and invasion of privacy, citing what Baldoni’s team described as “cherry-picked” and altered communications between his publicists and journalists.
Image credits: Gent’s Talk Podcast
Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s attorney, argued that the Times “cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic practices and ethics.”
The New York Times previously stated that it plans to “vigorously defend” itself against Baldoni’s lawsuit.” At the time, Lively also formalized the details of her legal complaint into a sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni. The actor and director, for his part, has denied the allegations.
The news received polarizing reactions from netizens
