Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit against Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds has officially come to an end. Following the dismissal of the suit on June 9, Baldoni did not meet a deadline on October 17 to file an amended complaint.
Baldoni’s lawyer previously confirmed to People they did not intend to refile, insteading saying they will be “pursuing additional legal options that are available to us.”
At the time, Lively’s team claimed the move as a victory, with a rep for the actress telling JustJared.com: “The Court dismissed the frivolous $400 million Baldoni-Wayfarer lawsuit in its entirety. In the days that followed, Baldoni’s lawyer said the judge’s decision to dismiss their case was not a big deal as they promised to amend and refile it. As per usual, that was not true. The Court’s dismissal of Baldoni’s sham lawsuit was a total victory after all”.
The initial dismissal for both Baldoni’s suit against Lively as well as the suit against the New York Times in June proved a shock turnaround for what has been a lengthy legal saga between the former It Ends With Us costars.
“The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged,” Judge Liman’s decision statement read in relation to Lively’s initial filing with the California Civil Rights Department.
As per the allegations of extortion levelled at Lively and Reynolds by Wayfarer and Baldoni, the judge wrote: “the Wayfarer Parties have not adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions.”
The legal saga first began in December 2024, when Blake Lively filed a civil suit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. The civil suit alleged that she had been the victim of sexual harassment on set, and that in retaliation for levelling her claims, Baldoni had orchestrated a calculated smear campaign against the actress.
Details of the claims were published by The New York Times in a bombshell expose that included excerpts from thousands of pages of text messages and emails that Lively’s legal team obtained through a subpoena, including the alleged inner workings of Baldoni’s crisis PR team led by none other than Johnny Depp’s own – Melissa Nathan.
In response, Justin Baldoni then filed a countersuit against The New York Times accusing the publication of libel and false light invasion of privacy over the December 21 article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
The filing also included accusations of promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract, and attempts to outline a rebuttal to the publication’s 4000 word article.
A swift response came from Lively’s legal team, when 11 days after her initial civil filing, she escalated her claims to the federal level.
Justin Baldoni Lawsuit Against The New York Times Also Dismissed
Baldoni’s $250 million suit against The New York Times was also been thrown out after the judge determined its filings did not provide enough evidence to claim that the publication “acted with actual malice,” in publishing the story.
“The alleged facts indicate that the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened,” the judge explained in a statement reviewed by the BBC. “The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively’s version of events.”
Blake Lively Responds To Dismissed Lawsuit
Legal representatives for Blake Lively responded to the judge’s decision with a statement that called the outcome “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.”
The actress also took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message to supporters after news of the Justin Baldoni lawsuit being dismissed reached the media.
“Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organizations united in defending women’s rights to speak up for their safety,” the post began.
“Like so many other, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back,” she continued.
“I’m more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.”
Ending the post with a list of relevant resources and organisations, Lively wrote: “With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know. Many of you I don’t. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you.”
What Happens Next?
While this Baldoni’s lawsuit against Lively and Reynold has come to a close, the legal battle between the former co-stars isn’t over. Blake Lively’s case against Justin Baldoni is scheduled for March 2026 where a court trial will take place.
Related articles:
- Blake Lively Takes Her Claims Against Justin Baldoni Federal
- Justin Baldoni Files Lawsuit Against The New York Times & Lively
- Did Blake Lively Really Threaten Taylor Swift?
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