“Plaintiffs have no adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions,” wrote U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman wrote.
A New York judge has dismissed actor and producer Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against his former co-star, Blake Lively.
Baldoni and Lively, who together starred in the 2024 film ‘It Ends with Us,’ have been locked in a protracted legal battle. In her initial complaint, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation. Lively claims that, among other things, Baldoni coerced her into performing intimate scenes without adequate notice and then attacked her reputation for speaking out.
Baldoni later filed a counter-lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, as well as the couple’s publicist. Attorneys for Baldoni say that three colluded to ruin Baldoni’s career tarnish his reputation by spreading unfounded rumors.
Baldon’s lawsuit was largely predicated in two claims: that Lively tried to “steal” the film from Baldoni, and that she engaged in a smear campaign against him.
But, earlier this week, a U.S. federal court dismissed Baldoni’s counter-lawsuit, which had sought compensation for extortion, defamation, and other alleged losses.
“Plaintiffs have no adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions,” U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman wrote.
Liman said that Baldoni failed to prove defamation because he and his studio, Wayfarer, “have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements” made in her lawsuit.
The court also dismissed claims against the New York Times, which Baldoni had accused of collaborating with Lively and Reynolds in launching a “smear campaign.”
“The alleged facts indicate that the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened,” wrote Liman. “The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively’s version of events.”
Lively and her legal team have since posited the ruling as “a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times.”
The actress also took to social media to share her thoughts on the verdict.
“Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us,” she wrote in an Instagram post.
“While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back,” she wrote, saying that she is “more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves.”
Liman’s dismissal was made without prejudice, meaning that Baldoni is free to amend and refile a lawsuit related to alleged contractual interference by June 23.
Sources
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni: What you need to know
Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400m defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively
Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit against Blake Lively dismissed by federal judge
Join the conversation!