Actor-director Justin Baldoni’s legal action against his co-star Blake Lively, along with her spouse Ryan Reynolds and their publicist, has come to a halt as the judge has officially terminated the lawsuit due to Baldoni’s failure to submit any amended claims within the specified deadline. U.S. District Court Judge Lewis J. Liman had previously dismissed two lawsuits filed by Baldoni in response to Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit against him. Baldoni, alongside his production company Wayfarer Studios, sought to counter-sue Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist for defamation, aiming for $400 million in damages, including projected future earnings.
Despite the dismissal of the defamation-related claims, the court granted Baldoni the opportunity to revise certain claims related to contract interference and resubmit them by June 23, as per Judge Liman’s ruling. Baldoni’s legal team had indicated their intention to proceed with amending the claims at that time. However, in a recent court order dated October 31, Liman stated that Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs from Wayfarer Studios missed the deadline and did not respond to the court’s inquiries on October 17 regarding the matter.
While only Lively responded, advocating for final judgment and the retention of her request for legal fees, Baldoni retains the right to challenge the defamation ruling once a decision is reached concerning Lively’s fee recovery. A court appearance is scheduled for March 2026 regarding Lively’s original lawsuit against Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment during the filming of a 2024 movie and accusing Baldoni and others associated with the production of libel for attempting to tarnish her reputation post-allegations.
