A judge has formally dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively, citing the actor and director’s failure to meet a deadline to continue his claim. The lawsuit, filed in response to Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation, also named Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, and The New York Times as defendants.
The legal battle between Baldoni and Lively began in December 2025 when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, alleging sexual harassment and retaliation during the production of their film “It Ends With Us”. Baldoni responded with a countersuit, claiming civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy. The lawsuit centered on two claims: that Lively “stole the film” from him and his production company Wayfarer by threatening not to promote it, and that she and others promoted a false narrative that Baldoni sexually assaulted her and launched a smear campaign against her 
In June, Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni’s case, but gave him the opportunity to file an amended complaint. However, Baldoni failed to meet the deadline, leading to the formal dismissal of the lawsuit. Judge Liman stated that Baldoni and his company “have not adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions”. The judge also determined that evidence did not show that The New York Times “acted with actual malice” in publishing their story, dismissing the $250 million suit against the newspaper
The dismissal of the lawsuit is a significant victory for Lively, who had accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation. Lively’s lawyers called the dismissal “a total victory and a complete vindication”. The actress’s original lawsuit against Baldoni remains ongoing, and she is seeking unspecified damages and attorneys’ fees. Baldoni’s failure to appeal the dismissal within the given timeframe has effectively ended his claims against Lively, Reynolds, and The New York Times