Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni’s Lawsuit Against Blake Lively

For more sotries

On Monday, a federal judge threw out a $400 million lawsuit filed by actor and director Justin Baldoni against Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times. The decision, issued by Judge Lewis J. Liman in Manhattan’s U.S. District Court, marks a significant blow to Baldoni in a highly public legal battle tied to the 2024 film It Ends With Us.

Baldoni’s lawsuit, originally filed in January, accused Lively of making false sexual harassment and retaliation claims in an effort to ruin his reputation. He later expanded the suit to include Reynolds, Sloane, her company, and The Times, alleging defamation based on a December 21 article that reported on Lively’s complaint to the California Civil Rights Department.

In that filing, Lively accused Baldoni and producer Jamey Heath both of whom run Wayfarer Studios of creating a hostile work environment and attempting to retaliate after she raised concerns. She claimed they engaged in a smear campaign in anticipation that her accusations might become public. Shortly after the news broke, Lively filed a lawsuit of her own against Baldoni, which remains active.

The legal drama has captivated Hollywood and fans alike, drawing even Taylor Swift into the fray. Baldoni’s team subpoenaed Swift, alleging she pressured him to adopt Lively’s creative changes to the film. Texts cited in the complaint included Lively referring to Swift as one of her “dragons.” The subpoena was later withdrawn, and Swift’s representatives denied any involvement.

Baldoni has consistently denied the allegations, asserting in his suit that Lively manipulated the situation to gain creative control over the film, which is adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel addressing domestic abuse. He also claimed that The Times distorted private text exchanges to fit a damaging narrative.

However, Judge Liman concluded that Baldoni had not sufficiently proven his claims. He ruled that Lively’s complaint was legally protected and that there was no clear evidence she made defamatory statements outside of her official filing. The judge also found that The Times was within its rights to report on the matter, stating the publication did not act with actual malice a requirement for libel claims involving public figures.

“There’s no indication that The Times had any reason to favor Lively’s version,” Liman wrote. Even if some quotes were arguably out of context, the judge found no basis to suggest the paper had serious doubts about the truth of its reporting.

Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, praised the ruling as a “total victory” and a “complete vindication.” A spokesperson for The Times echoed that sentiment, calling the lawsuit a “meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting.”

Although the majority of the case has been dismissed, Judge Liman did leave the door open for Baldoni’s legal team to amend and refile parts of the lawsuit that relate to alleged breaches of contractual obligations. A representative for Baldoni has not commented on the ruling.

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