Justin Baldoni’s Lawsuit Against Blake Lively Officially Closed

Actor-director Justin Baldoni’s legal action against his co-star Blake Lively from “It Ends With Us,” along with Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, has come to a halt as a judge has officially closed the case due to Baldoni not submitting any amended claims within the given deadline. U.S. District Court Judge Lewis J. Liman had previously dismissed two lawsuits filed by Baldoni in June, which were in response to Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against him. Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, had attempted to counter-sue Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist for defamation, seeking $400 million in damages, inclusive of potential future income losses. Additionally, Baldoni and other defendants named in Lively’s original lawsuit had also tried to sue the New York Times for libel, alleging a coordinated attempt to tarnish their reputations. Although the court rejected Baldoni’s defamation claims, citing legal immunity for statements made in lawsuits, Judge Liman did allow Baldoni to potentially revise certain claims related to contract interference and refile by a specified date, which his legal team had initially planned to do. However, in a recent court order, Liman noted that Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios co-plaintiffs missed the deadline and failed to respond to inquiries from the court regarding the case. Only Lively had responded, requesting the final judgment and upholding her request for legal fees. Baldoni retains the option to appeal the defamation ruling once decisions are made concerning Lively’s fee recovery. The two actors are scheduled to appear in a New York court in March 2026 for the ongoing lawsuit initiated by Lively, who has accused Baldoni of on-set sexual harassment during the filming of the 2024 movie and has also accused him and others associated with “It Ends With Us” of defamation for allegedly attempting to damage her reputation after her allegations.