On Monday, a federal judge dismissed the $400 million countersuit It Ends with Us actor and director Justin Baldoni filed against his co-star Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, filed a lawsuit against Lively for defamation in January after she initially filed a sexual harassment complaint against him on Dec. 20.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s lawsuits, explained
She accused him and other people involved in the project of retaliatory treatment after she spoke out publicly about the conditions she faced on set, Blavity and NBC News reported.
Meanwhile, in his libel suit, Baldoni alleged that The New York Times conspired with Lively and Reynolds to ruin his career in its initial coverage of the allegations against him. At the time, he sought $400 million in damages, including loss of future income, per NBC News. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman tossed the legal complaint Monday.
The judge set a deadline for the plaintiff to amend the remaining claims
In his ruling, Litman ruled that Baldoni and his legal team have until June 23 to submit amended claims regarding tortious interference with the contract and breach of the implied covenant, which Baldoni cited in his suit.
After the court hearing, Lively’s lawyers addressed Baldoni’s complaint, which named the actor, her husband and several others.
“Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times,” Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, Lively’s lawyers, said in a statement obtained by NBC News.
Lively addresses court ruling on social media
Lively also shared her thoughts on the ruling. People reported that the 37-year-old took to Instagram on Monday to speak out about the “pain” she endured from Baldoni and his production company.
“Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us,” Lively wrote in her Instagram Stories. “While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back.”
Lively continued, stating that she is “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.”
“With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know. Many of you I don’t. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you,” she wrote.
In her message, she included more than a dozen organizations focused on women’s rights and supporting survivors of sexual harassment. Several of these groups, along with subject matter experts, have filed amicus briefs in the ongoing legal battle against Baldoni, according to People.
Baldoni’s legal fight against Lively and Reynolds not over
Although Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit was dismissed, he and his legal team have vowed to continue their fight against Lively and Reynolds.
“Ms. Lively and her team’s predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling,” Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, said in a statement to Variety. “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. This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively’s own team conveniently describes as ‘untraceable’ because they cannot prove what never happened.”
Freedman’s statement continued, “Most importantly, 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. We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity.”