BLAKE LIVELY WINS LAWSUIT: JUSTIN BALDONI LOSES MILLION-DOLLAR CASE IN HOLLYWOOD

Justin Baldoni has lost his multimillion-dollar lawsuit against Blake Lively after months of legal tension in Hollywood. The actress celebrates a key victory while her original case continues to move forward in court.

The legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively  one of Hollywood’s most talked-about disputes in recent months has officially come to an end. A federal judge in New York has definitively dismissed the $400 million countersuit filed by the It Ends with Us actor and director against the actress, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times.

According to Judge Lewis Liman’s ruling, Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, failed to file an amended complaint within the deadline following the initial dismissal of the case in June. As a result, the lawsuit  which accused Lively and her circle of defamation, extortion, and invasion of privacy is now officially closed.

The resolution marks a major win for Blake Lively, who had previously accused Baldoni of inappropriate behavior during the filming of It Ends with Us, the highly anticipated adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel. Court documents state that the actress accused the director of fostering a hostile work environment and launching a “smear campaign” against her after she voiced discomfort with certain conduct and decisions on set.

Lively’s claims include reports of inappropriate behavior and personal remarks that allegedly affected not only her but also other women on the crew. In her complaint, the actress described several “offensive and distressing” incidents, including pressure regarding her private life and professional boundary violations.

After the allegations became public, Baldoni responded with a multimillion-dollar countersuit alleging defamation and damage to his reputation. However, Judge Liman ruled that Lively’s statements were protected under the legal “litigation privilege,” as they were made in the context of an official complaint filed with authorities. The court also concluded that neither Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, nor The New York Times acted negligently in reporting the actress’s account.

Lively’s legal team celebrated the outcome, calling it a “complete victory and total vindication” for the 38-year-old actress. “As we said from day one, this $400 million lawsuit was a sham,” attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb told People.

Baldoni’s representatives, on the other hand, dismissed the celebration as “false,” insisting that the case revolved around “baseless accusations of harassment and retaliation.” Nonetheless, his failure to appeal within the given timeframe sealed the case’s fate.

Throughout the ordeal, Lively has remained outspoken about the emotional toll of the lawsuit. In a June Instagram post, she wrote: “Like many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame designed to break us.”

While Baldoni’s countersuit is now officially closed, Lively’s original complaint remains active, with a trial set for March 2026. A story that began on the set of a film about abuse and power now finds its final act unfolding in a New York courtroom.