Judge Rejects Baldoni’s Multi-Million Dollar Claim

2025-06-10

A US judge has dismissed the case that actor and director Justin Baldoni had filed against the acting couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Baldoni had sued the two for defamation and was seeking $400 million.

The judge in New York ruled that Lively’s lawsuit against Baldoni is legally protected. This means that the director’s defamation case is dropped.

In December, Lively sued Baldoni for sexual misconduct, after their collaboration in the film It Ends with Us. Baldoni then sued Lively and her husband Reynolds for defamation.

Baldoni’s case against the Hollywood couple’s PR manager and the newspaper The New York Times has also been dropped. Earlier this year, the director sued the newspaper for $250 million for defamation over an article about Lively’s accusations. The judge ruled that the newspaper had adhered to journalistic principles.

Baldoni, who directed the film he and Lively starred in, claims Lively tried to gain control of the film.

The judge dismissed that complaint, but Baldoni is allowed to amend and refile it.

Lively’s lawyers are calling the judge’s decision a complete victory. The lawsuit Lively filed against Baldoni is scheduled for March 9, 2026.

Written by: Focus Fantastic

Blake Lively Justin Baldoni Ryan Reynolds