A New York judge has dismissed the Justin Baldoni lawsuit against Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds on June 9.
In a shock turnaround for what has been a lengthy legal saga between the former It Ends With Us costars, Baldoni’s $400 million defamation and extortion suit against the Hollywood couple and publicist, Leslie Sloan, has ended with Judge Lewis J. Liman.
“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’s decision statement read in relation to Lively’s initial filing with the California Civil Rights Department.
As per the allegations of extortion levelled at Lively and Reynolds by Wayfarer and Baldoni, the judge wrote: “the Wayfarer Parties have not adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions.”
The legal saga first began in December 2024, when Blake Lively filed a civil suit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. The civil suit alleged that she had been the victim of sexual harassment on set, and that in retaliation for levelling her claims, Baldoni had orchestrated a calculated smear campaign against the actress.
Details of the claims were published by The New York Times in a bombshell expose that included excerpts from thousands of pages of text messages and emails that Lively’s legal team obtained through a subpoena, including the alleged inner workings of Baldoni’s crisis PR team led by none other than Johnny Depp’s own – Melissa Nathan.
In response, Justin Baldoni then filed a countersuit against The New York Times accusing the publication of libel and false light invasion of privacy over the December 21 article titled “‘We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
The filing also included accusations of promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract, and attempts to outline a rebuttal to the publication’s 4000 word article.
A swift response came from Lively’s legal team, when 11 days after her initial civil filing, she escalated her claims to the federal level.
Justin Baldoni Lawsuit Against The New York Times Also Dismissed
Baldoni’s $250 million suit against The New York Times has also been thrown out after the judge determined its filings did not provide enough evidence to claim that the publication “acted with actual malice,” in publishing the story.
“The alleged facts indicate that the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened,” the judge explained in a statement reviewed by the BBC. “The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively’s version of events.”
Blake Lively Responds To Dismissed Lawsuit
Legal representatives for Blake Lively responded to the judge’s decision with a statement that called the outcome “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.”
The actress also took to Instagram to share a heartfelt message to supporters after news of the Justin Baldoni lawsuit being dismissed reached the media.
“Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organizations united in defending women’s rights to speak up for their safety,” the post began.
“Like so many other, 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 continued.
“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.”
Ending the post with a list of relevant resources and organisations, Lively wrote: “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.”
What Happens Next?
Although the Justin Baldoni lawsuit against Blake Lively has been dismissed, Judge Liman noted in his June 9 filing that Baldoni’s legal team has the right to submit a revised lawsuit, should they wish to pursue different claims. His legal team has until June 23 to file an amended complaint if they wish to.
The decision comes just weeks after Judge Liman granted the motion to dismiss Baldoni’s attempts to subpoena Taylor Swift in his legal battle against Lively, after his lawyer alleged the actress had threatened to release 10 years of text messages between herself and Swift, should the pop star refuse to support her publicly. The judge also advised Baldoni’s legal team that any future misuse of the Court’s docket “may be met with sanctions.”
As for Blake Lively’s case against Justin Baldoni – scheduled for March 2026 – the trail as it’s set, still stands.
More updates to come.
Related articles:
- Blake Lively Takes Her Claims Against Justin Baldoni Federal
- Justin Baldoni Files Lawsuit Against The New York Times & Lively
- Did Blake Lively Really Threaten Taylor Swift?
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