A vast majority of Justin Baldoni’s $400 million civil lawsuit against Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds was thrown out by a judge on Monday.
Per People, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Parties, against Lively and Reynolds, which alleged extortion and defamation related to allegations Lively has made about Baloni occurring on the set of the film It Ends With Us. Baldoni does have the option of amending the lawsuit for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract and re-filing by June 23rd.
Additionally, Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s separate defamation lawsuit against the New York Times over its reporting on Lively’s allegations and her subsequent lawsuit against the actor/director
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“The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her [California Civil Rights Department] complaint, which are privileged,” Judge Liman wrote in the opinion and order filing. “The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Timesmade additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign. But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or theTimes 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.”
Lively’s federal lawsuit against Baldoni remains active and is expected to go to trial in 2026. Among several allegations, Lively has accused Baldoni — who directed and co-starred in It Ends With Us — of sexual harassment, fostering a hostile work environment, and orchestrating a PR campaign to damage her reputation.