Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively dismissed by judge
A judge has dismissed the lawsuit filed by actor and director Justin Baldoni against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment and retaliation.
US District Court Judge Lewis Liman's decision is the latest development in the bitter legal battle surrounding the dark romantic drama that includes Lively suing Baldoni in late December.
Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios countersued in January for 400 million dollars (£294.9 million), accusing Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.
The judge ruled that Baldoni cannot sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims.
Judge Liman also ruled that Baldoni's claims that Lively stole creative control of the film did not count as extortion under California law.
Baldoni's legal team can revise the lawsuit if it wants to pursue different claims related to whether Lively breached a contract, the judge said.
It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a 50 million dollar (£36.8 million) debut.
But the film's release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni.
The judge also dismissed Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which had reported on Lively's sexual harassment allegations.
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Getty Images On Monday, June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios' countersuit against Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, in which he accused them of defamation and extortion. He also dismissed the defamation suit against the New York Times, which reported on Lively's original complaint against Baldoni (here's a longer recap of the various allegations between the It Ends With Us co-stars). To say this is a win for Blake Lively is an understatement. It doesn't mean that she will necessarily win her suit against Baldoni—the trial is still set for March 2026—but it's gotta feel good to no longer have the specter of a $400 million lawsuit hanging over your head. On Instagram, Lively released a statement thanking the many organizations that voiced their support for her motion to dismiss his case against her. '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. 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 wrote. The day the news of the dismissal broke, an insider revealed to People that Lively had "cried with relief" after hearing of the dismissal. "She's obviously relieved. They both are," said another source, referring to Lively and Reynolds, adding, "She feels vindicated" and that 'Everyone [on the legal team] is happy.' In a statement, Lively's lawyers said, 'today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication…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.' Originally Appeared on Glamour
