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 double dismissal to Justin Baldoni’s legal efforts
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U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman granted a motion to dismiss Baldoni’s countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, the couple’s publicist and 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. The judge determined that the claims made in Lively’s official complaint were legally protected.
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According to Judge Liman, 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 case 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.”
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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
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According to the Judge, Baldwin’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
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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
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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.
The news received polarizing reactions from netizens
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