Featured Image Credit: Alberto Rodriguez/Getty
Topics: Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Celebrity, Court
Liv Bridge
Topics: Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Celebrity, Court
Justin Baldoni lost out on his $400,000,000 lawsuit against Blake Lively after the judge dismissed it over one thing.
In case you've been living under a rock, Baldoni and Lively have been in a heated legal dispute for some time now, ever since the Gossip Girl star launched legal action in December.
Lively, who co-starred in the 2024 movie It Ends With Us with Baldoni, accused him of sexual harassment and of creating a smear campaign against her.
He later retaliated, filing a separate $400,000,000 defamation suit against her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times.
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However, in June of this year, the judge threw the case out after Baldoni and his legal team failed to amend his allegations regarding contract interference before the June 23 deadline, which Lively responded to on her Instagram Story.
US District Judge Lewis Linman gave the plaintiffs more time to make corrections after finding the initial allegation lacked merit, particularly around Lively's New York Times article that Baldoni had cited, since its contents were protected from litigation under protected speech and reporting privileges.
In a statement earlier this year, a New York Times spokesperson said they were pleased with the judgment, as they said (via Complex): “We are grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting."
Now, the case has pretty much collapsed, with a new order signed by Judge Linman on October 31 ruling that Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios co-plaintiffs missed the opportunity to revive the case.
Judge Linman noted how the plaintiffs had 'failed to respond' to an October 17 order about why a final judgment shouldn't be entered, effectively pulling the plug on their legal battle.
According to the BBC, Judge Linman had contacted all parties to inform them that he'd be filing the concluding statement, with only Lively's team responding.
They requested that the final judgment be declared, and the actor's request for legal fees remain active, which the judge agreed to.
Baldoni does, however, retain the right to appeal the judgment once the court resolves requests from Lively's team to recoup legal costs.
Earlier in the summer, the A Simple Favor star and her legal team celebrated the judge's decision as a 'victory', stating the lawsuit was a 'sham' to begin with. At the time, Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, counteracted the statement, stating it was a 'predictable declaration of victory' that was 'false.'
"While the Court dismissed the defamation related claims, the Court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations," he said.
His statement continued in part: "Ms. Lively’s own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking."
Meanwhile, Lively's sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni remains ongoing in Manhattan federal court.
UNILAD has previously contacted Baldoni and Lively's reps for comment.