The lawyer representing Justin Baldoni in his defeated $400 million defamation case against Blake Lively has spoken out, revealing the actor still has plans to pursue his It Ends With Us co-star in court.
The lengthy legal dispute has dragged on through much of 2025 in the wake of Lively's accusations at the tail end of last year, when she claimed that Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of the movie adaptation of Coleen Hoover's It Ends With Us, and attempted to 'destroy' her career through a smear campaign.
Shortly after, the 41-year-old actor filed the massive $400 million countersuit, accusing Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds, as well as the New York Times, of defaming and extorting him over the allegations.
However, US District Court Judge Lewis Liman dismissed the case in June, stating that Lively's accusations were legally protected and that Baldoni's lawyers would need to amend their suit if they wished to proceed.
Advert
The hefty countersuit was finally thrown out on October 31 after no such amendments were filed.
After days of silence, Baldoni's lawyer has now spoken out to clarify why the actor's legal team failed to amend their massive countersuit against Lively, 38, and her husband, arguing 'the truth regarding this case continuously and completely gets distorted in the media'.
In a statement shared with PEOPLE, lawyer Bryan Freedman revealed that they had not amended their lawsuit as they planned to appeal Judge Liman's initial decision to dismiss the case.
Advert
Freedman said: "Even something as simple as a procedural update has resulted in a total mischaracterization. At this point, we have to set the record straight: no deadlines were missed. Our clients chose not to amend their complaint to preserve appeal rights."
He added: "In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms. Lively’s claims. We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available and look forward to our day in court."
Court documents seen by the publication also show that Lively's legal team were the only ones to respond to Judge Liman's demands in October for any final submissions before he dismissed the case.
Advert
While Baldoni's team remained silent, Lively asked for the judge to bring the proceeding to a close, but to also keep her request for a restitution of legal fees active, which was granted.
When the $400 million defamation suit was dismissed in June, Lively shared her thoughts on Instagram, typing: “Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back.”
At the same time, her lawyers revealed the next step in the legal battle, telling The Independent: "As we have said from day one, this ‘$400m’ lawsuit was a sham, and the court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, [businessman] Steve Sarowitz, [PR Melissa] Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”
While no details regarding an appeal in Baldoni's $400 million claim have been released, a court date for Lively's accusations against her co-star has been set for March 2026.
Advert
UNILAD has previously contacted Baldoni and Lively's reps for comment.
Topics: Blake Lively, Celebrity, Justin Baldoni, Money, Ryan Reynolds, US News
William Morgan