Justin Baldoni’s lawsuits against Blake Lively dismissed by judge

Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation claim against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds was dismissed by a judge on Monday.

Lewis Liman, a US district judge of New York, threw Baldoni's entire case against his It Ends With Us co-star out on the grounds that the latter's allegations of sexual harassment were legally protected under the litigation privilege and, hence, bore immunity against a lawsuit, The Guardian has reported.

The ruling also threw out related claims of contractual interference and extortion, citing insufficient evidence. However, the ruling does give Baldoni the chance to amend and refile some of his allegations pertaining to interference with contracts. Court documents obtained by People Magazine state:

“The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged."

The latest developments in Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's legal struggles explored:

Judge Liman's filing further notes that Baldoni's team, which is accusing Reynolds, Lively, Sloane (their publicist), and The Times of passing defamatory remarks about him, failed to prove that the defendants were dubious about the authenticity of their claims:

“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," the filing stated. “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.”

Justin Baldoni now has until June 23 to amend his claims related to breach of implied covenant and tortious interference.

Judge Liman also threw out the It Ends With Us actor and director's $250m defamation claim against the New York Times, citing that the outlet's reporting on the claims falls under the “fair report” privilege, The Guardian has reported.

"The alleged facts indicate that the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened," he wrote. "The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively's version of events."

Lively filed her complaint last year, accusing Justin Baldoni of sexually harassing her, intentionally and negligently inflicting emotional distress on her, and orchestrating a smear campaign against her.

She also named Justin Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios in her December 2024 lawsuit. She outlined these claims and alleged instances of harassment to The New York Times, which published the article ahead of her lawsuit.

The Jane the Virgin actor then countered with a lawsuit, which was based on two claims: that Lively and the others deliberately tried to perpetuate the false narrative that Baldoni sexually harassed her and launched a smear campaign, and that she threatened him and his company, Wayfarer, with not promoting the film.

However, Justin Baldoni and his production company "have not adequately alleged that Lively's threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions," Judge Liman wrote.

He also claimed that the two parties had not proved defamation, as the "Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements" in her lawsuit, which is privileged information.

BBC has reported that Lively's lawyers have since issued a statement referring to the presiding judge's opinion as "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."

Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb added,

"As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it." They went on, "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."

Sloane's attorney, Sigrid McCawley, has also issued a statement, reflecting on the implications the lawsuit against Sloane had on her reputation:

“Leslie Sloane has consistently said that she never defamed Baldoni or the Wayfarer Parties… Today’s decision by the Court makes clear that Sloane did nothing wrong. Sloane stands fully vindicated, and justice has been served."

Justin Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, has yet to issue a statement. They can still appeal to the US second circuit court against the rulings from Liman's district, The Guardian has further reported.

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