Blake Lively breaks silence on dismissal of Justin Baldoni’s $400m lawsuit

On Monday, a federal judge dismissed Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, ruling that Lively's allegations of sexual harassment are protected by law and cannot be the basis for a defamation claim.

Judge Lewis J Liman threw out the entire lawsuit, which included claims of defamation, extortion, and other allegations. However, he did allow Baldoni the opportunity to amend and refile specific claims related to alleged interference with contractual relationships.

In a statement following the ruling, Lively's legal team hailed the decision as a "complete vindication" for their client and others named in the lawsuit, including Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times. 

"As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation." 

Lively previously filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in federal court, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliatory behaviour. According to her claim, Baldoni and his production team at Wayfarer Studios launched a smear campaign against her following her complaints about working conditions on the set of the 2024 film "It Ends With Us".

Baldoni, in turn, filed a defamation lawsuit targeting The New York Times, Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane. He claimed they had worked together to falsely accuse him and ruin his professional reputation.

However, in Monday's ruling, Judge Liman determined that Lively's original claims—filed with California's Civil Rights Department and later reported by The New York Times—were protected under litigation privilege, meaning they cannot be used as grounds for a defamation suit. Additionally, the judge found that The Times' coverage of the legal proceedings was protected by the "fair report" privilege, which shields media outlets from defamation liability when reporting on official legal matters.

A spokesperson for The New York Times welcomed the court's decision, stating, "We are grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit against The New York Times for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting. Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the court recognised that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism. We will continue to stand up in court for our journalism and for our journalists when their work comes under attack."

The suit also accused Reynolds of defaming Baldoni by allegedly referring to him as a "sexual predator." However, the court found that Reynolds was merely echoing his wife's account, which he had no reason to doubt. Similarly, Lively's publicist Leslie Sloane was cleared of defamation, with the judge concluding that her statements to the Daily Mail were also based on Lively's narrative.

A trial concerning Blake Lively's lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios is scheduled to take place in March 2026.

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Posting on Instagram Stories, the actress opened up about her experience, stating, "Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organisations united in defending women's rights to speak up for their safety. Like so many others, I've felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don't have the resources to fight back."

The 37-year-old continued, saying, "I'm more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman's right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story. There are protections out there. Check out some of the incredible organisations below for resources and information. With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know. Many of you I don't. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you."

Blake also included a list of advocacy organisations in her post, such as the California Employment Lawyers Association, California Women's Law Center, CHILD USA, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, and Equal Rights Advocates, offering them as helpful resources for others facing similar challenges.