A US judge dismissed Justin Baldoni‘s entire $US400 million ($613 million) lawsuit against Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, but that doesn’t guarantee the drama surrounding the It Ends With Us co-stars is over.
Judge Lewis Liman granted Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane’s motions to dismiss Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit because Lively’s allegations Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of the film are protected by law.
As such, they can not form the basis of a defamation claim – but Baldoni can still pursue legal action against his It Ends With Us co-star.
READ MORE: Judge’s shock move in $613m Lively-Baldoni lawsuit
Per Liman’s ruling, Baldoni is allowed to file an amended complaint on specific allegations against Lively and her husband by June 23.
If he chooses to, the actor could file an amended complaint against Reynolds and Lively on the allegations of tortious interference with contract, and against Lively individually on the allegations of breach of implied covenant.
Baldoni is yet to comment, but it seems unlikely he will simply let the lawsuit go.
Co-stars shut down ‘feud’ rumours with one small move
He’s pursued the case fiercely over the past six months, so may be reluctant to step back when there are still legal avenues he could pursue.
It’s likely Baldoni has also spent a significant amount of money on legal fees while pursuing the case and he may want to see some sort of victory come out of it, even if only in relations to the contract claims.
As such, many of Baldoni’s fans expect him to file amended complaints in the coming days and continue his legal battle with the Hollywood couple.
For a daily dose of 9honey, subscribe to our newsletter here.
Lively, on the other hand, seems ready to put his defamation suit behind her.
She made a stylish appearance in New York for the annual Chanel Tribeca Artists Dinner, smiling as she posed for the cameras hours after Baldoni’s suit was dismissed.
On Instagram, she said she was “more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story” now.
It’s likely she will now shift her focus to her ongoing sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni. He has denied her claims.
What happened between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni?
Lively and Baldoni co-starred in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling book It Ends With Us, which was filmed across 2023 and early 2024.
It premiered in August 2024, when fans noticed director and actor Baldoni did not appear to be as close with his co-stars as producer and leading lady Lively.
The legal scandal kicked off in December 2024, when Lively filed a civil rights complaint claiming Baldoni had sexually harassed her during the film’s production.
Soon after she escalated the complaint to an official lawsuit, in which she alleged Baldoni and his team had also orchestrated a smear campaign against her.
Baldoni denied the claims, then sued the Hollywood star and her husband Reynolds, alleging they had hijacked the film and tried to “destroy” him and his career.
“This is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio,” Baldoni’s suit stated.
Baldoni also sued The New York Times for $US250 million ($383 million) for libel, claiming the outlet published an article that was “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions” about the controversy.
In June, a US judge granted motions to dismiss all of the claims but Baldoni has until June 23 to file amended complaints if he wants to.
Lively’s lawsuit is set to go to trial in March 2026.
Why did Justin Baldoni sue Ryan Reynolds?
Though Reynolds didn’t star in It Ends With Us, Baldoni named the Deadpool actor in his defamation lawsuit against Lively.
In the lawsuit, Baldoni claimed the Hollywood couple used their fame and influence to defame him, that Reynolds accused him of “fat shaming” Lively and “aggressively berated” him, and that Reynolds approached Baldoni’s agent at a movie premiere and demanded the agency drop him.
Baldoni also alleged Reynolds’ Deadpool & Wolverine character Nicepool was designed to bully and mock him.
Reynolds responded by filing a motion to dismiss the claims, which was successful.
What are the accusations against Justin Baldoni?
Lively has accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her and other women on the set of It Ends With Us, then retaliating when she and others attempted to speak up about it.
She recently agreed to drop two claims in her own suit against him: intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
This was a “routine part of the litigation process” for “streamlining and focusing” the case, according to Lively’s legal team, ahead of a March 2026 trial.
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
