Justin Baldoni’s $400M suit Against Blake Lively Gets Dismissed By Judge

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00:00Justin Baldoni's suit against Blake Lively just got dismissed by the judge.

00:04Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively.

00:09A federal judge has dismissed Justin Baldoni's $400 million countersuit against former co-star

00:15Blake Lively. Justin Baldoni has suffered a major blow in his high-stakes court drama

00:20with It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds.

00:26Judge has dismissed Justin Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit against Hollywood power couple

00:32Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds.

00:34U.S. District Judge Louis J. Lyman dismissed the bulk of Justin and his production company

00:38Wayfarer Studios' $400 million suit, which accused Blake,

00:43Ryan, and others of defamation and extortion.

00:47Baldoni accused the group of extorting and defaming him, but the judge says

00:51he failed to prove those allegations.

00:53The judge also threw out Justin's separate $250 million defamation suit

00:56against The New York Times, which had reported on Blake's initial claims.

01:00The judge also dismissed Baldoni's $250 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.

01:07While Judge Lyman allowed Justin the opportunity to amend and refile two of his claims by June 23,

01:132025, the sweeping dismissal marks a significant win for Blake and Ryan,

01:18who had long dismissed the suit as baseless.

01:21In his ruling, Judge Lyman emphasized that the only statements attributed to Blake

01:26were part of her official complaint to the California Civil Rights Department,

01:30communications that are protected and privileged.

01:33Blake made headlines in December 2024 when she filed a complaint accusing Justin of mistreatment

01:39on the set of the film, which he also directed.

01:43She claimed Justin created a hostile work environment and retaliated against her by

01:47orchestrating a smear campaign after she spoke out.

01:51The allegations shook the entertainment industry and quickly became a topic of intense public interest.

01:57Justin, in turn, denied all allegations and launched a countersuit against Blake,

02:02Ryan, publicist Leslie Sloan, and The New York Times.

02:06He alleged the group conspired to ruin his reputation and career,

02:10seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.

02:13However, Judge Lyman determined that the suit failed to meet key standards

02:17required for a successful defamation case.

02:20The Wayfarer parties have not alleged that Ryan, Sloan, or The Times would have seriously doubted

02:25these statements were true based on the information available to them,

02:29as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.

02:33The judge wrote.

02:35Blake's team, Ezra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, celebrated the decision in a strongly worded

02:40statement calling the dismissal a total victory and a complete vindication for the actress

02:46and the other defendants.

02:48This $400 million suit was a sham, and the court saw right through it, they said.

02:54The New York Times, which published a widely circulated article

02:57detailing Blake's allegations and the fallout that followed, also applauded the ruling.

03:03A spokesperson for the paper said the suit was a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting,

03:08and praised the court for protecting the work of journalists who covered carefully and fairly

03:14a story of public importance.

03:16The court's decision also comes shortly after a major development that further weakened Justin's case.

03:23James Vituska, a journalist whose statements had been included in Justin's suit to support

03:28his claims of a smear campaign, retracted a key assertion.

03:32In a signed declaration filed, Vituska clarified that publicist Leslie Sloan never told him that

03:38Blake had been mistreated by Justin, a crucial detail in Justin's argument.

03:43In those text messages, my use of the phrase was a mistake, Vituska admitted.

03:48This phrase was not in reference to any conversation that I had with Leslie Sloan.

03:52I regret this error.

03:53Adding to the drama, Blake moved to withdraw her claims of intentional

03:57and negligent infliction of emotional distress after Justin's team attempted to obtain her

04:02medical records.

04:03Her attorneys called the move a routine part of the litigation process,

04:07but accused Justin's side of turning the maneuver into a publicity stunt.

04:12The conflict, already one of the most high-profile entertainment suits in recent memory,

04:16has been packed with twists, media scrutiny, and high-stakes reputational damage for both sides.

04:22With the trial set to begin in March 2026, the drama is far from over,

04:27though the ruling dramatically shifts the momentum in Blake and Ryan's favor.

04:32Despite the setback, Justin still has the option to refile parts of his complaint.

04:36However, experts suggest that the judge's detailed and scathing dismissal

04:41signals an uphill climb if Justin hopes to revive his claims.

04:45At the heart of the case remains Blake's serious and public accusations of and retaliation.

04:52Charges that Justin continues to deny, but which have already left a significant impact

04:57on his public image and career.

05:00As both parties prepare for a lengthy journey,

05:03the entertainment world will be watching closely.

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