On Monday, a judge declined to entertain Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, as the judge ruled that Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment were legally shielded, making them exempt from such legal action.
In his ruling, Judge Lewis J. Liman threw out the entirety of Baldoni’s lawsuit, including accusations of extortion and other charges, while granting him an opportunity to revise and resubmit some claims about interfering with contractual agreements.
Or, more concisely:
The whole lawsuit brought by Baldoni was rejected by Judge Lewis J. Liman, but he permitted Baldoni to rework and refile certain allegations of contract interference.
Today’s court decision represents a complete triumph and absolute validation for Blake Lively, as well as those who were drawn into Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Groups’ counter-suit, which includes Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times. As we have maintained from the outset, this $400 million lawsuit was a baseless claim. The court recognized its fraudulent nature. We anticipate the upcoming phase of our case, where we will seek compensation for legal fees, triple damages, and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who instigated this abusive litigation.
In a federal court, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni over claims of sexual harassment and retribution. She asserts that both Baldoni and the team behind “It Ends With Us” started a defamatory campaign against her following her complaints about the working conditions on the movie set.
Baldoni filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni, Lively, Reynolds, and their representative of colluding to ruin his professional reputation by making untrue accusations against him.
In a decision handed down on Monday, Judge Liman determined that the original allegations (originally brought forth in a grievance filed with the California Civil Rights Authority and subsequently disclosed to The Times) were shielded by the litigation privilege. This privilege protects legal claims from defamation lawsuits.
Judge Liman’s ruling on Monday established that the initial accusations, initially submitted in a complaint to the California Civil Rights Department and later revealed to The Times, were safeguarded by the litigation privilege. This privilege prevents legal claims from being subjected to defamation lawsuits.
The “fair report” privilege, which shields news organizations from defamation lawsuits when they report on court proceedings, also applied to The Times’ coverage of the claims.
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2025-06-09 20:16