Blake Lively Scores Legal Win as Court Throws Out Baldoni’s $400M Lawsuit
In a major development in the ongoing legal battle between Hollywood stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, a New York federal judge has officially dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation countersuit against his former It Ends With Us co-star. The decision, delivered by Judge Lewis Liman on Monday, marks a significant legal victory for Lively.
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The countersuit, which accused Blake Lively of defamation, civil extortion, and orchestrating a smear campaign alongside her husband Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, and her agency Vision PR, Inc., has now been thrown out in its entirety.
The legal dispute stems from the troubled release of the 2024 film It Ends With Us, a highly anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel. Blake Lively starred in and promoted the film, which was produced by Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios. But behind the scenes, the collaboration turned contentious.
In 2024, Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni and his company, alleging sexual harassment and claiming he initiated a preemptive smear campaign to discredit her. In response, Baldoni filed a staggering $400 million countersuit, accusing Lively of fabricating her claims to “steal the film” and weaponizing media narratives for leverage.
Why the Judge Ruled Against Justin Baldoni
According to court documents, Judge Liman found that Justin Baldoni and his legal team failed to substantiate key claims in the countersuit—particularly the allegation of extortion.
“The plaintiff has not adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions,” Judge Liman noted in the ruling.
In essence, the court concluded that Lively’s conduct, even if forceful or adversarial, fell within her legal rights as a lead actor and producer, especially amid negotiations about the film’s promotion and post-production handling.
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