Actor-director Justin Baldoni’s legal action against his co-star Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist has come to a halt as a judge formally concluded the case, citing Baldoni’s failure to submit revised claims within the specified deadline. U.S. District Court Judge Lewis J. Liman had previously dismissed two lawsuits filed by Baldoni in response to a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit initiated by Lively. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, his production company, sought to counter Lively, Reynolds, and their publicist for defamation, aiming for $400 million in damages, including projected future earnings loss.
In a bid to challenge Lively’s initial lawsuit allegations, Baldoni and other defendants also attempted to sue the New York Times for libel, alleging a coordinated smear campaign. While the court rejected Baldoni’s defamation assertions, citing lawsuit allegations as not subject to libel claims, Judge Liman granted Baldoni the opportunity to amend certain claims related to contract interference, with a deadline set for June 23. Baldoni’s legal team expressed intent to proceed with the amendments.
Subsequently, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, conveyed that they were invited by the court to refine and present additional evidence for four out of the seven claims against Lively. However, in a recent court order dated October 31, Liman noted that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios failed to adhere to the deadline for amendments and did not respond to court inquiries on October 17. Only Lively responded, advocating for the declaration of final judgment and the retention of her request for legal fees.
Baldoni retains the option to appeal the defamation ruling pending a decision on Lively’s fee recovery. The parties are scheduled to convene in a New York courtroom in March 2026 for the ongoing lawsuit initiated by Lively, which alleges sexual harassment by Baldoni during the production of a 2024 film, as well as claims of libel orchestrated by Baldoni and others associated with “It Ends With Us” to tarnish her reputation post-accusation.