Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against co-star Blake Lively was dismissed by a federal judge in New York on Monday.
The actors, who co-starred in “It Ends With Us,” have been embroiled in a heated legal feud since December 2024.
Judge Lewis J. Liman threw out Baldoni’s countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times. He ruled that the Times “reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened” and had no obvious motive to favor Lively’s version of events.
Lawyers Declare Victory
Lively’s attorneys called the dismissal a “total victory and complete vindication.” They described Baldoni’s lawsuit as a “sham” and vowed to pursue attorneys’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages against Baldoni and his associates.
Background of the Legal Battle
The feud began in December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint against Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing him of sexual harassment on the film set. Days later, Baldoni sued The New York Times, accusing the paper of publishing misleading articles.
Baldoni’s suit claimed the Times relied on “cherry-picked” and altered messages between his publicists and the newspaper. The Times defended its reporting as fair and responsible.
Additional Claims and Accusations
Baldoni also sued Reynolds and Sloane, accusing them of defamation and extortion. He claimed Lively spread a false narrative of harassment, and that Reynolds called him a sexual predator—leading Baldoni’s agent to drop him.
Sloane was also accused of spreading “malicious stories.” However, Lively’s team called Baldoni’s claims “another chapter in the abuser playbook.”
Legal Developments and Vindications
The court’s dismissal comes after DailyMail reporter James Vituscka admitted to a mistake in describing text messages as “sexually assaulted.” Vituscka clarified that Sloane never told him Baldoni assaulted anyone. Sloane’s lawyer declared her “fully vindicated” by Vituscka’s statement.
Meanwhile, Judge Liman also allowed Lively to avoid presenting emotional distress claims initially included in her case.
For more on the Lively-Baldoni legal feud, stay tuned to Que Onda Magazine.