In a dramatic legal showdown that’s lit up Hollywood and legal circles alike, a judge has just dismissed Justin Baldoni’s jaw-dropping $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times.
That’s right – Baldoni, who starred in and directed It Ends with Us, had claimed the trio defamed him and tried to ruin his career. But a federal judge just ruled that most of his case doesn’t hold up in court.
The ruling came down on June 9, when Judge Lewis Liman granted Lively’s legal team’s motion to dismiss, effectively throwing out the bulk of Baldoni’s claims – including civil extortion, defamation, and false light. The countersuit originally stemmed from Blake Lively’s late 2024 lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation on the set of It Ends with Us, a film adaptation of the Colleen Hoover novel that Baldoni also produced through his company Wayfarer Studios.
In his counterattack, Baldoni argued that Lively threatened to tank the film’s publicity and go public with damaging accusations unless he gave her more creative control. He called it civil extortion. The court, however, didn’t buy that. Judge Liman ruled that even if Lively did make those demands, it amounted to “legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions” – not extortion under the law. So that claim? Out.
Baldoni also accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, her longtime publicist Leslie Sloane, and even The New York Times of helping to spread a false narrative that he had committed sexual misconduct. But here again, Judge Liman dismissed the claims, saying Baldoni’s complaint failed to prove any actual malice or wrongdoing on the part of Reynolds, Sloane, or the Times.
Crucially, the court also found that the only specific statements Lively made were in her official complaint to the California Civil Rights Department – a filing that’s legally privileged and can’t be used as a basis for a defamation lawsuit. And Baldoni’s team couldn’t show that Reynolds or the others knew the information was false or acted with any malicious intent. In legal terms, their actions didn’t rise to the level of defamation or false light. Translation: Baldoni’s allegations didn’t stick.
Still, Judge Liman didn’t completely slam the door on Baldoni’s case. While most of the countersuit is toast, the court gave Baldoni until June 23 to file a second amended complaint – but only on two limited grounds: breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract. That means if he wants to stay in the legal ring, he’s got just a few weeks to come up with new, stronger arguments – ones that actually hold up in court.
As for Lively and her crew’s request to have Baldoni cover their legal fees? That was denied “without prejudice,” so they can still come back and request it later. No cash payout – yet.
Blake Lively’s lawyers, understandably, didn’t hold back in their reaction. In a statement to USA TODAY on June 9, they called the court’s decision “a total victory and a complete vindication” for Lively, Reynolds, Sloane, and The New York Times, describing Baldoni’s original suit as a “$400 million sham” and a “retaliatory lawsuit.” They made it crystal clear that they’re not done – they’ll be going after attorneys’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages next, targeting not just Baldoni but also his Wayfarer Studios co-founders Justin Sarowitz and Ahmed Nathan.
This legal face-off all started in late 2024, when Lively filed her explosive lawsuit alleging that Baldoni sexually harassed her during the production of It Ends with Us. That bombshell triggered a media frenzy and positioned the already high-profile film in the middle of a very public #MeToo-era clash. Baldoni immediately denied the allegations and fired back with a counterclaim that has now, mostly, gone up in smoke.
From bold threats and massive damage claims to celebrity names and a high-stakes film adaptation, this courtroom drama has it all. And while Lively may have scored a huge win this week, this legal war isn’t over just yet. All eyes are now on whether Baldoni’s team can piece together a viable amended complaint by June 23 – or whether this marks the final scene in a bitter behind-the-scenes feud that’s been playing out like a Hollywood thriller.
