Justin Baldoni's $400 Million Countersuit Against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Dismissed by Judge
Justin Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and other parties was dismissed by the judge on June 9
The New York Times has stood by its coverage since the lawsuit, and Lively's lawyers previously called Baldoni's lawsuit "vengeful"
Baldoni's lawyer previously called Lively's motion to dismiss the lawsuit an "abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system"In a major setback for Justin Baldoni, the It Ends With Us director-star's countersuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, as well as his lawsuit against The New York Times, have been tossed out by the judge.
On Monday, June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted the motion to dismiss the $400 million lawsuit filed by Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties against Lively and Reynolds, which alleged extortion and defamation, as well as the $250 million defamation lawsuit against the Times.
The judge noted, though, that Baldoni's legal team can still amend the claims for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract if they choose to, with a deadline of June 23.
"The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged," Judge Liman wrote in the opinion and order filing viewed by PEOPLE. "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."
The judge added, "The Wayfarer Parties' additional claims also fail. Accordingly, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety."
Attorneys for Baldoni did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Lively's lawyers Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb call the decision a "total victory and a complete vindication" for the actress and the others whom "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," they say in the statement, adding that "we look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages" from the Wayfarer parties who they say "perpetrated this abusive litigation.'
Sigrid McCawley, an attorney representing Lively's publicist Sloane, says in a statement, "Leslie Sloane has consistently said that she never defamed Baldoni or the Wayfarer Parties and she was wrongfully dragged into this lawsuit because the Wayfarer Parties wanted to actively harm Sloane's reputation. Today's decision by the Court makes clear that Sloane did nothing wrong. Sloane stands fully vindicated, and justice has been served."
The Times has long stood behind its coverage of Lively's complaint that was filed in December 2024 and led to her lawsuit against Baldoni. She has alleged sexual harassment and retaliation, which he denies, and her lawyers have previously called his subsequent countersuit "vengeful" and "meritless." A spokesperson for the newspaper previously said, "Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported."
Lively, 37, recently agreed to drop two of her claims against Baldoni, 41 — intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress — in a move her legal team described as a "routine part of the litigation process" for "streamlining and focusing" their case.
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In March, Baldoni's attorney Bryan Freedman spoke out after Lively filed a motion to dismiss their countersuit, saying the actress' attempt to "dismiss herself from the self-concocted disaster she initiated is one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system."
He added at the time, 'Stringent rules are put into place to protect the innocent and allow individuals to rightfully defend themselves. Laws are not meant to be twisted and curated by privileged elites to fit their own personal agenda."
Lively and Baldoni's trial — during which both are expected to testify — is currently scheduled for March 2026.
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Note: This post is an Op-Ed and shares the author's personal views. I fucking told you so: Justin Baldoni's $400-million countersuit against Blake Lively was tossed out by a judge. Last December, Blake filed a California Civil Rights Department complaint against her It Ends with Us costar and director, in which she alleged sexual harassment and a subsequent retaliatory media campaign (she would then go on to sue Justin). Justin denied the claims and filed a countersuit of his own, alleging defamation and extortion, among other things. Related: 21 Times Celebrities Revealed Wildly Juicy, Shady, Or Even Disturbing Things In Interviews Earlier today, a judge ruled that the countersuit against Blake, as well as Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, Vision PR, and the New York Times Company had been dismissed. The Wayfarer parties can still amend their complaint for "breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract." But the important part that I'd like to highlight is the emphasis that the allegations Blake made in her CRD complaint were privileged speech. To highlight one section from the judge: "The Wayfarer Parties have not adequately alleged a defamation claim as to any part of the purported conspiracy. The Wayfarer Parties have not adequately alleged that any false statements were made to the Times other than the statements in Lively's CRD complaint, which were privileged under California law. There also is no allegation that the distribution of the CRD complaint was made by anyone other than Lively or, more particularly, with the involvement or agreement of Sloane or Reynolds. The Wayfarer Parties have not adequately alleged that Sloane or Reynolds individually did any more than repeat Lively's version of events, which they had no reason to doubt. And the Wayfarer Parties have not adequately alleged that Lively should be held responsible for Sloane or Reynolds' statements. Their allegations of a conspiracy between the parties are conclusory." In non-legal-speak terms, California has a rule that essentially means you can't be sued for defamation if you make a serious allegation of sexual harassment. It's designed to prohibit a tactic that can be used to silence survivors who do speak out by bleeding them dry via the courts. Related: Here Are 16 Actors Who Saved Their Skin By Turning Down Roles In Movies That People Notoriously Hated Nineteen women's organizations already expressed concern over Baldoni's lawsuit because of what it could mean for survivors. Child USA worried that allowing Baldoni's lawsuit to continue would effectively have grave complications for California's civil code and "would force survivors into the untenable position of having to choose between remaining silent or facing emotional, reputational, and financial devastation through protracted, abusive litigation." The Child USA amicus brief continues, "It would also send a dangerous message to other survivors contemplating disclosure — that speaking out may carry intolerable risks — and it would embolden perpetrators and complicit institutions that depend on secrecy to perpetuate cycles of abuse." This is what I have been harping on about since news of the lawsuits first emerged. This isn't just an annoying celebrity trial. If Blake Lively, a rich white lady with celebrity cache, can face a multimillion retaliatory defamation lawsuit, where the fuck does that put the rest of us who might want to speak out about sexual harassment? We need allegations of sexual harassment without malice to be considered privileged speech, which isn't the case across the country. The suit against the New York Times being dropped is also good news for the media's ability to report on alleged sexual harassment cases. Smaller publications sounded the alarm from the get-go. 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