Yes, Justin Baldoni Tried a Countersuit, and a Judge Just Dismissed the $400 Million Case

Justin Baldoni faced a major blow on Monday.

The It Ends With Us actor and director had a $400 million countersuit going against Blake Lively, her publicist, and her husband Ryan Reynolds, which alleged defamation and extortion, in addition to a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. But Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed his case on Monday.

Baldoni, who filed the suit with Wayfarer Parties, is still able to amend specific claims within the case with a June 23 deadline.

“The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD [civil rights department] complaint, which are privileged," Judge Liman wrote in the opinion and order filing. In other words, civil rights department complaint statements, including in California where filed, cannot be sued for defamation. Lively’s complaint that alleged sexual harassment on def is thus exempt.

The judge then continued with reasoning on why he tossed the lawsuit out: “The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign. But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane, or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law."

It’s that serious doubt their statements were true, Judge Liman underscored, that’s fueling the dismissal.

“This '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it," Lively’s lawyers Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb said in a statement to People. The Times added in its own statement, “We are grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting.”

Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman has yet to make a statement but in March, after Lively filed a motion to dismiss their countersuit, said Lively was trying to “dismiss herself from the self-concocted disaster she initiated is one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system.”

Lively made her complaint in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment and a smear campaign orchestrated by her co-star, which Baldoni denies. The Times covered her story, with the headline “We Can Bury Anyone,” and stood behind its work amid the lawsuit. The Gossip Girl actor’s case against Baldoni and Wayfarer Parties is ongoing, and a trial date is expected March 2026.

The It Ends With Us movie released in August 2024 and explores themes of romance and domestic violence. It’s based on the book by Colleen Hoover, which is controversial as many readers have said that her titles have a history of romanticizing violence in relationships. The controversy surrounding the movie is only fueled by the orbiting legal drama. The film, however, did well in the box office, grossing more than $350 million worldwide with only a $25 million budget.