Justin Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively has been dismissed, as confirmed by DailyMail.com, amidst their ongoing legal battle depicted in It Ends With Us.
According to a representative for Blake Lively speaking to DailyMail.com: Today’s ruling stands as a significant triumph and clear exoneration for Blake Lively, in addition to the individuals whom Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties involved in their retaliatory legal action, such as Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times.
The statement continued: From the outset, we have maintained that this supposed ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was baseless, and the court has rightfully recognized it as such. Our anticipation now shifts to the forthcoming proceedings, where we will be pursuing compensation for legal expenses, triple damages, and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the remaining Wayfarer Parties responsible for perpetrating this unjust legal pursuit.
Judge Lewis J Limon has dismissed Baldoni’s suit alleging defamation and extortion on the basis that all her allegations were made within privileged court papers.
On June 3, DailyMail.com revealed Lively, 37, was forced to drop her claims intentional and negligent infliction of emotional response against Baldoni, 41, to avoid having to share her health records with the 41-year-old’s legal team.
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Justin Baldoni for comment but has yet to hear back.
Justin Baldoni’s $400million countersuit against Blake Lively has been dismissed – DailyMail.com can confirm amid their ongoing It Ends With Us legal wrangle – pictured together in December 2023
Judge Liman said in the docket obtained by DailyMail.com: ‘The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged.
‘The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign.
‘But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.
‘The Wayfarer Parties’ additional claims also fail. Accordingly, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety.’
The judge ruled: ‘The Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened. The Times had no obvious motive to favor Lively’s version of events.’
The drama between Lively and Baldoni officially erupted late last year.
Lively first accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a civil rights complaint followed by a lawsuit, while Baldoni responded by accusing the star, her husband, and Sloane of defamation and extortion in the $400 million suit that has now been dismissed.
Baldoni has denied the allegations brought about by Lively, while Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made in litigation by Baldoni.
Baldoni’s team has released a website which includes private communications such as text messages that were included in court filings detailing his interactions with the Hollywood power couple over the making of romantic drama.
He claimed in court filings they made efforts made to usurp and undermine his input as the director of It Ends with Us.
Baldoni’s team previously said that the communications shared in court filings on the website makes things clear about the motives of both parties.
The website, which is live online at thelawsuitinfo.com , comes amid a spate of high-profile litigation between the collaborators on the film, which was a hit at the box office last August.
Lively filed an 80-page civil rights complaint with the California Civil Rights Department against Baldoni December 20, before officially filing a federal lawsuit on December 31.
The drama between Lively and Baldoni officially erupted late last year
Lively in December sued Baldoni amid claims of sexual harassment during production of the motion picture. In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways – including body shaming her – and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
Baldoni and his reps have said in response to the lawsuit that Lively twisted the meaning of text messages and mislead the public about their interactions while making the motion picture.
In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.
‘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,’ Lively told The New York Times the day after she filed the complaint.
Baldoni subsequently sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation claim over a December 21 story titled ‘”We Can Bury Anyone”: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine ;’ the newspaper has denied the allegations.
Baldoni on January 16 filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, alleging defamation and extortion. Baldoni told the court the trio had concocted ‘false accusations of sexual harassment’ against him.
Since Lively’s complaint was filed, Baldoni has faced a number of professional consequences, including a lawsuit from a former publicist ; and being dropped by the agency WME , which also reps Lively and Reynolds.
WME has denied claims that Lively and Reynolds leaned on them to release Baldoni from their client roster, according to Variety.
