Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation case against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

A U.S. federal judge has dismissed actor and filmmaker Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against actress Blake Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds.

The court found that Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment were legally protected under litigation privilege and therefore immune from defamation claims.

The ruling, delivered on Monday by Judge Lewis J. Liman, also dismissed related claims of extortion and contractual interference brought by Baldoni. However, the judge allowed Baldoni to refile certain allegations related to interference with contracts.

Judge throws out Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation suit against Blake Lively

Lively’s legal team welcomed the decision, calling it a “total victory.” In a statement, they said, “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. As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.”

They also confirmed plans to seek attorneys’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages against Baldoni and others involved in what they described as “abusive litigation.”

What happened between Baldoni and Lively?

Lively had previously filed a federal lawsuit accusing Baldoni and the producers of ‘It Ends With Us’ of sexual harassment and retaliation. She alleged that the defendants began a smear campaign against her after she raised concerns about working conditions on the film’s set.

Baldoni’s suit had claimed that Lively, Reynolds, their publicist, and ‘The New York Times’ conspired to ruin his career with false allegations. But the court ruled that the initial complaints, made to the California Civil Rights Department and shared with the press, were protected by legal privilege.