Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively dismissed by judge
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.
While Lively was accused in the lawsuit of threatening to refuse to promote the film, Wayfarer does 'not allege facts showing that Lively had an obligation to promote the film or to approve marketing materials', Judge Liman wrote.
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.
'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, (publicist) Leslie Sloane and The New York Times,' Lively's lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, said in a prepared statement.
The lawyers said they 'look forward to the next round' of seeking lawyers' fees, treble damages and punitive damages.
A spokesperson for The New York Times said they were 'grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting'.
'Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the court recognized that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism,' Charlie Stadtlander said in a statement.
Lively appeared in the 2005 film The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants and the TV series Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including The Town and The Shallows.
Baldoni starred in the TV comedy Jane The Virgin, directed the 2019 film Five Feet Apart and wrote Man Enough, a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Insider reveals how Justin Baldoni REALLY feels as $400million countersuit against Blake Lively is DISMISSED amid It Ends With Us drama
Justin Baldoni 's $400million countersuit against Blake Lively has been dismissed, with a source exclusively revealing to how he really feels about the shocking news. Amid their ongoing It Ends With Us legal drama, Baldoni, 41, is struggling with the outcome... but he hopes the legal battle might not be completely over yet. In December 2024, Lively, 37, sued Baldoni for allegedly sexually harassing her on set. He denied the claims, and then he and Wayfarer Studios fired back with a defamation suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist, Leslie Sloane. Baldoni also waged war against The New York Times, filing a $250million lawsuit against the publication over its bombshell tell-all about Lively's sexual harassment claims against her former co-star on December 31, 2024. In a shock twist, a judge has dismissed Baldoni's lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds, the New York Times, Sloane and her PR firm Vision in a major setback for the actor. An insider has told that 'it is a tale of two worlds right now' when it comes to the ongoing It Ends With Us turmoil and how both sides see things. 'Justin feels this is a huge kick to the guts,' the inside source continued. Judge Lewis J Liman dismissed Baldoni's suit alleging defamation and extortion on the basis that all Lively's allegations were made within privileged court papers. While it's a massive disappointment for the Jane the Virgin actor and his legal team, Baldoni is looking to the future. The judge's order specifically allows Baldoni to amend his contract-related claims by June 23. 'Even though it is a stumble, Justin still has full trust with his legal team,' the insider continued. 'He is looking to figure out how to move forward from this current setback,' the source continued. On Monday, Lively shared a statement reacting to the judge's decision on social media. 'Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organizations united in defending women's rights to speak up for their safety,' she began. '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.' Lively wrote that she was '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 went on to share a list of organizations people in similar situations could turn to. '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,' Lively concluded. While it might look like Baldoni is done with the legal spectacle, the tussle might not be done quite yet. The insider said: 'His team might amend their lawsuit as this is not over, the fight continues.' However, it appears that Lively is feeling victorious. The Simple Favor actress issued an emotional response. A statement obtained by from Lively's lawyers reads: '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,' the statement continued. As for how Lively felt about the dismissal, a Lively insider said the star 'cried with relief' when she found out about the bombshell ruling. The source exclusively told of the actress' reaction: 'Complete elation from Blake's world and a monkey off her back. 'Blake is breathing a sigh of relief right now and all tears are happy tears.' The legal battle between the Gossip Girl actress and Baldoni officially erupted last year after months of rumors that the pair didn't get along on set. In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni's collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio's CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. Baldoni has denied the allegations brought against him by Lively, while she and her husband, along with her publicist, have denied the accusations made in litigation by her former co-star.
The Sun
5 hours ago
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Judge throws out Justin Baldoni's $400m defamation claim against former co-star Blake Lively
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Belfast Telegraph
5 hours ago
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Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively dismissed by judge
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. While Lively was accused in the lawsuit of threatening to refuse to promote the film, Wayfarer does 'not allege facts showing that Lively had an obligation to promote the film or to approve marketing materials', Judge Liman wrote. 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. '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, (publicist) Leslie Sloane and The New York Times,' Lively's lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, said in a prepared statement. The lawyers said they 'look forward to the next round' of seeking lawyers' fees, treble damages and punitive damages. A spokesperson for The New York Times said they were 'grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting'. 'Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the court recognized that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism,' Charlie Stadtlander said in a statement. Lively appeared in the 2005 film The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants and the TV series Gossip Girl from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including The Town and The Shallows. Baldoni starred in the TV comedy Jane The Virgin, directed the 2019 film Five Feet Apart and wrote Man Enough, a book challenging traditional notions of masculinity.
