Justin Baldoni’s legal battle just hit a major roadblock. A federal judge has dismissed the actor-director’s two massive lawsuits—one seeking $400 million from Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, and another $250 million defamation suit against The New York Times.
To rewind: the drama started when Blake Lively, who stars in the upcoming film adaptation of It Ends With Us, accused Baldoni—who also acts in and directed the film—of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her. Baldoni, in turn, fired back with lawsuits, claiming defamation and damages.
On Monday, June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled in favor of Lively, Reynolds, and The New York Times, tossing out the complaints in their entirety. However, he did leave a small opening, allowing Baldoni’s team to potentially refile amended claims related to “breach of implied covenant and tortious interference.”
In his ruling, Liman wrote, via People: “The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged. The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] 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. But 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.”
Liman concluded, “The Wayfarer Parties’ additional claims also fail. Accordingly, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety.”
Blake’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, celebrated the outcome, telling Just Jared: “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 ‘$400 million’ 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, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”
Blake herself reacted to the news with a heartfelt message on Instagram Stories. “Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organizations united in defending women’s rights to speak up for their safety. Like so many others, 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 wrote.
“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,” she continued.
“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,” she added, before listing advocacy organizations she’s aligned with, including Equal Rights Advocates, CHILD USA, Her Justice, National Organization for Women, and the Women’s Justice NOW initiative.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, quickly issued a response, insisting that the fight is far from over.
“Ms. Lively and her team’s predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling,” Freedman told Just Jared. “While the Court dismissed the defamation related claims, the Court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations.”
He added: “This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively’s own team conveniently describes as ‘untraceable’ because they cannot prove what never happened. Most importantly, Ms. Lively’s own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking.”
He also expressed thanks to online supporters: “We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity.”
Blake’s original lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios is still on track for trial in March 2026.
