Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit against Blake Lively is dismissed by the judge
The 41-year-old actor earlier filed a $400 million countersuit against her former co-star from “It Ends with Us,” her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and the New York Times newspaper after she claimed that the former co-star had caused her “severe emotional distress.”
In a statement obtained by People after the judge’s ruling, Blake’s lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, stated: “Today’s opinion is 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.”
According to the lawyers, Justin’s countersuit was a “sham.”
“As we have stated since the beginning, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a fraud, and the court saw right through it,” they added.
We anticipate the upcoming round, which will seek treble damages, attorneys’ fees, and punitive penalties from Baldoni, [Steve] Sarowitz, [Melissa] Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties involved in this abusive litigation.
A $250 million defamation lawsuit was filed against the New York Times by Justin, who also accused Blake and her husband of extortion and defamation.
Judge Lewis J. Liman, however, has already dismissed his charges; the decision was made in New York on Monday.
In the past, Blake, 37, charged that her ex-co-star was using “sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct.”
In the New York Times, the actress, who portrayed Justin’s on-screen love interest in “It Ends with Us,” stated: “I hope that my legal action helps pull back the curtain on these sinister retaliatory tactics to harm people who speak up about misconduct and helps protect others who may be targeted.”
Later, Justin, who also directed the romantic drama movie in 2024, refuted the accusations, calling them “categorically false” according to his attorney.
“These claims are completely false, outrageous, and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media,” Bryan Freedman, who represented the actor and his Wayfarer Studios production company, told Variety.
