The legal saga between “Jane the Virgin” star Justin Baldoni and actress Blake Lively is heating up, even after Baldoni faced a major setback in court. While a judge recently dismissed his $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times, Baldoni and his legal team insist the fight is far from over.
The lawsuit, filed just a month after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, alleged that the actress, along with Reynolds and the media outlet, engaged in a smear campaign designed to destroy his reputation.
At the center of this contentious legal battle lies the pair’s time working together on the film adaptation of “It Ends With Us.” In December 2024, Lively publicly accused Baldoni, who not only co-starred in the film but also directed it, of sexual harassment and orchestrating efforts to tarnish her public image. Baldoni has firmly denied all accusations, instead characterizing Lively as the aggressor.
Following the court’s decision to toss out his defamation claims, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, made it clear that the dismissal was far from the end of the road. In a statement released on June 10, Freedman criticized Lively’s legal team for prematurely celebrating, emphasizing that several claims still remain under consideration.
“Ms. Lively and her team’s predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling. 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.”
Speaking to TMZ, Freedman struck a defiant tone, suggesting that the dismissal merely cleared the path for them to continue pursuing justice. According to Baldoni’s legal team, Lively fabricated harassment accusations and falsely portrayed herself as the victim of a non-existent smear campaign, charges they remain determined to prove in court.
In March, Freedman addressed the situation following Lively’s motion to dismiss their countersuit, asserting that her effort to “dismiss herself from the self-concocted disaster she initiated is one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system.”
“Stringent rules are put into place to protect the innocent and allow individuals to rightfully defend themselves. Laws are not meant to be twisted and curated by privileged elites to fit their own personal agenda.”
As Baldoni’s team prepared to regroup, Lively made her first public appearance since the ruling, attending the Chanel Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner in New York City on Monday night. Looking radiant and seemingly unburdened, the actress posed confidently in a white crochet dress, Louboutin heels, and Chanel jewelry, her long waves cascading down her shoulders as she smiled at photographers.
Behind the scenes, sources close to Lively described her reaction as one of overwhelming relief, an insider told The Blast, adding that she had “cried with relief” following the court’s ruling.
“Complete elation from Blake’s world and a monkey off her back. Blake is breathing a sigh of relief right now, and all tears are happy tears.”
Lively’s attorneys were equally celebratory. In a statement, they called the judge’s decision a “total victory” and slammed Baldoni’s accusations as nothing more than a “sham.”
“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.”
They further argued that the judge had seen through Baldoni’s “lies” and promised aggressive next steps.
“We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, [Steve] Sarowitz, [Melissa] Nathan and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”
According to the judge’s ruling, Baldoni and his team have until June 23 to file an amended complaint. However, any new filing must be limited to specific claims, such as “tortious interference with contract and breach of implied covenant,” restricting the scope of the next phase of litigation.
In the wake of her courtroom victory, Lively broke her silence via Instagram Stories on June 9, sharing an emotional statement with her followers.
“Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back.”
Lively went on to thank her supporters—both those who knew her personally and strangers who rallied around her—and vowed to continue advocating for women facing similar legal battles. “I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you,” she declared, adding links to organizations such as California Employment Lawyers Association; California Women’s Law Center; CHILD USA; Coalition Against Trafficking in Women; Equal Rights Advocates; Esperanza United; Her Justice; Herunivercity Inc.; National Network to End Domestic Violence; National Organization for Women; National Organization for Women NYC; New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault; New York Cyber Abuse Task Force; New York State Anti-Trafficking Coalition; Sanctuary for Families; Urban Resource Institute; Women’s Equal Justice; and Women’s Justice NOW.
“I’m 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.”
Several of those organizations and their experts recently submitted amicus briefs in the ongoing case, raising concerns about what they describe as Baldoni’s “attempt to dismantle a law designed to protect women who speak up,” according to a spokesperson for Lively in a prior statement.
The legal drama has already seen several dramatic developments. Just weeks before this latest dismissal, Judge Lewis J. Liman had previously sided with Lively on May 15, dismissing earlier elements of Baldoni’s case.
One notable point of contention involved a letter presented by Baldoni’s legal team, which accused Lively’s attorney, Michael Gottlieb, of threatening to release private text messages between Lively and her friend, Taylor Swift, if Swift refused to support Lively’s claims.
The judge firmly rejected this as “improper” and “irrelevant,” warning that such material risked creating a “press uproar” over alleged extortion claims and would not be admissible.
Now, all eyes turn to whether Baldoni’s team will manage to file a successful amended complaint before the deadline, or whether this bitter legal saga is approaching its final act.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
