©Sony Pictures, It Ends With US

Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against actress Blake Lively has been squelched by a New York judge on the grounds that Baldoni failed to meet a deadline to move forward with his case.

The legal brouhaha began in December of 2024, when Lively, who was Baldoni’s co-star in It Ends With Us, filed a suit accusing him of sexual harassment. In response, Baldoni filed a countersuit accusing her of civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy. The countersuit also included Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, and the New York Times as defendants.

Following the June dismissal, Lively’s legal team declared a “total victory and a complete vindication” though Baldoni’s lawyer vowed to “march forward” with the case, declaring; “While the court dismissed the defamation related claims, the court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations.”

 

According to Judge Liman, Baldoni’s lawsuit was based on two allegations: that Lively “stole the film” by threatening not to promote it, and that the actress claimed that Baldoni had sexually assaulted her.

Baldoni’s case was dismissed in June, but he had a chance to file an amended complaint. However, Judge Lewis Liman said he had failed to do so in a timely manner. The judge also said there was no evidence that the New York Times had “acted with actual malice” in reporting on the story last December. Lively’s original lawsuit against Baldoni is still in force.

In response to these recent developments, Blake Lively also issued a statement in which she said that she was “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.”

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