Justin Baldoni’s $400m lawsuit against Blake Lively dismissed after missed deadline

A United States federal judge has formally dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million (£295 million) lawsuit against his It Ends with Us co-star Blake Lively, marking a significant turn in a bitter legal feud that has gripped Hollywood for nearly a year.

Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively dismissed

Judge Lewis Liman ruled that Baldoni, who both directed and starred in the 2024 adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel, had failed to meet a crucial deadline to amend his complaint following an earlier dismissal in June. The actor had sued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, and The New York Times, alleging defamation, civil extortion, and invasion of privacy.

The case’s dismissal came after a procedural lapse: while the judge contacted all parties on October 17 warning that a final judgment would soon be entered, only Lively’s legal team responded.

They requested the court to finalise the dismissal but maintain their active request for legal fees — a request the judge granted.

Lively’s own lawsuit against Baldoni, filed last December, remains ongoing. In it, she accuses the actor and filmmaker of sexual harassment and orchestrating a campaign to damage her reputation.

Baldoni’s case had been dismissed once before when Judge Liman found the allegations against Lively insufficient, particularly regarding his claims of extortion and defamation. At that time, the court noted that the actor and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, “had not adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining.”

Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against The New York Times dismissed

In his earlier rulings, Judge Liman also dismissed Baldoni’s $250 million claim against The New York Times, stating there was no evidence the publication acted with “actual malice” in reporting on the feud. “The Times had no obvious motive to favour Lively’s version of events,” he wrote.

Following the June dismissal, Lively’s legal team called the outcome “a total victory and a complete vindication.” Baldoni’s lawyer, however, had vowed to continue the fight, claiming the actor would present “refined allegations” in an amended filing.

That filing never came. With the deadline now long passed, Judge Liman’s latest ruling effectively closes Baldoni’s counterclaims — leaving Lively’s accusations as the only remaining active case between the two former co-stars.