Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400M Lawsuit Against Blake Lively
A U.S. judge has dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and others, marking a major turn in the months-long legal dispute between the It Ends With Us co-stars. Baldoni had claimed that Lively had falsely accused him of sexual harassment and that she and her team along with The New York Times had smeared his name and tried to sabotage the film. However, the court ruled that statements made in Lively’s lawsuit were protected and that Baldoni failed to show that the Times acted with actual malice in its reporting.
Judge Lewis Liman also rejected Baldoni’s claims that Lively tried to “steal” the film or extorted him by threatening not to promote it. According to the ruling, such behavior amounted to “legally permissible hard bargaining,” not extortion. The judge said Baldoni could revise and refile some contract-related claims by June 23rd, but the core allegations of defamation and extortion didn’t hold up in court.
Lively’s legal team called the ruling “a total victory and a complete vindication,” while she used her Instagram to highlight how retaliatory lawsuits are used to silence women. “While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back,” she wrote. Meanwhile, The New York Times, also named in the suit, praised the dismissal as a win for press freedom and pledged to continue defending its journalism.
