How Blake’s crew received the primary blow in opposition to Justin Baldoni… published via KATIE HIND

It used to be a girl’s dinner in New York’s Meatpacking district that exposed the identification of Blake Lively’s new A-list pal.

The embattled actress used to be noticed laughing along with her older sister Robyn and fellow Hollywood big name Salma Hayek as they left the RH Rooftop Restaurant, in a while after it emerged that Lively’s friendship with Taylor Swift had come to a dramatic finish.

The singer reportedly reduce ties when Lively threatened to leak non-public texts except Swift sponsored her in an ongoing sour feud along with her co-star Justin Baldoni.

Only days later, Hayek gushed about her new bestie on the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue release celebration in New York.

She published she’s been buddies with each Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds for years and is shut with their 4 youngsters.

‘I got a chance to go play with them. They got to see their tía[aunt] Salma,’ she cooed. ‘They can also speak some Spanish.’

Now, her new friendship with Salma Hayek (centre) is now the debate of Tinseltown, after US District Court pass judgement on Lewis Liman’s sensational dismissal of the £400million defamation lawsuit filed via Baldoni in opposition to Lively

The message used to be transparent: Lively’s were given a brand new bestie. Indeed, her new bosom friendship with Hayek is now the debate of Tinseltown, after US District Court pass judgement on Lewis Liman’s sensational dismissal of the £400million defamation lawsuit filed via Baldoni in opposition to Lively.

By sheer twist of fate, the pass judgement on, a graduate of each the London School of Economics and Yale Law School, is the brother of Doug Liman, a big Hollywood director.

Doug, identified for running on hits comparable to The Bourne Identity and Mr & Mrs Smith, is represented via Creative Artists Agency – the similar company Hayek’s billionaire husband François-Henri Pinault purchased a controlling stake in again in 2023.

One Hollywood insider mentioned: ‘While the judgment came as a surprise to many, it is not an unfair decision. The connections are there – but then I guess it is Hollywood after all, and everyone knows everyone.’

The entire sorry saga spread out ultimate 12 months when Lively – perfect referred to as Upper East Side ‘It girl’ Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl – filed a civil rights criticism claiming Baldoni sexually confused her all over manufacturing of a movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestseller It Ends With Us.

She alleged he then retaliated when she spoke out. Baldoni, for his phase, strenuously denied the entirety. Lively later escalated her claims, launching a proper lawsuit in opposition to Baldoni.

The actor – and his corporate Wayfarer Studios – hit again in January with a £400million countersuit, accusing Lively and her husband Reynolds, Deadpool actor and proprietor of Welsh soccer membership Wrexham AFC, of defamation and extortion.

US District Court pass judgement on Lewis Liman, proper, a graduate of each the London School of Economics and Yale Law School, is the brother of Doug Liman, left, a big Hollywood director

But ultimate week, Judge Liman threw out key portions of Baldoni’s case. He dominated that the 41-year-old can’t sue Lively, 37, for defamation over claims she made in a lawsuit, as felony filings are secure speech and subsequently exempt from libel claims. He additionally mentioned Baldoni’s accusation that Lively hijacked ingenious keep watch over of the movie didn’t rely as extortion below California regulation.

And the pass judgement on addressed Baldoni’s claims that Lively threatened to not advertise the movie via declaring Wayfarer by no means confirmed she had a felony legal responsibility to take action.

Liman mentioned Baldoni’s crew might revise the lawsuit and pursue other claims similar as to whether Lively breached a freelance. But it’s transparent the tide has grew to become.

The pass judgement on additionally tossed out Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit in opposition to The New York Times, which had reported on sexual harassment allegations. Lively and Reynolds are mentioned to be extremely joyful via the ruling, particularly after enduring Baldoni’s vicious PR struggle.

This used to be first uncovered in December, when messages emerged between Baldoni’s crew and London-born disaster comms guru Melissa Nathan. ‘He wants to feel like she can be buried,’ a publicist running with Baldoni wrote to Nathan ultimate August.

‘You know we can bury anyone,’ she spoke back.

Nathan – who has labored with the likes of Johnny Depp, Drake, Travis Scott and Simon Cowell – allegedly labored at the back of the scenes to kill tales destructive to Baldoni and spin damaging ones in opposition to Lively.

Nathan’s briefings to reporters – which some described as a ‘smear campaign’ – is not anything out of the atypical in Hollywood. But some have urged that possibly she used to be too assured in her talents to take down Lively.

Nathan wasn’t the one one. Indeed, due to her ways, many insiders surely feared Lively had no likelihood of profitable the case – and that the couple have been headed for monetary break.

‘Melissa has some of the biggest journalists in America on her side, so the inference you’d have were given should you have been a reader of the fame publications within the States, and certainly in Britain, used to be that Justin would win this fingers down,’ mentioned one supply.

‘Melissa would do anything for her clients, as would others in Justin’s camp. But what we’ve noticed in spite of everything got here all the way down to proof noticed via a pass judgement on – and it didn’t move Justin’s manner. It’s without a doubt 1-0, and even 2-0 to Blake right here. Team Baldoni are not likely to have preferred this one little bit.’

Lively’s felony crew mentioned in an impassioned observation the day prior to this: ‘Today’s opinion is a complete victory and a whole vindication for Blake Lively, along side those who Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, together with Ryan Reynolds, [publicist] Leslie Sloane and The New York Times.’

They added that they’re now going after felony charges and damages, that means this court docket showdown is a long way from over.

Baldoni hit again together with his personal observation to the Daily Mail thru his attorney Bryan Freedman, insisting Lively’s claims of sexual harassment that sparked the felony struggle ‘are no truer today than they were yesterday’ and likewise thanking the general public for his or her ‘unmitigated support’.

Perhaps Lively’s crew will now be hoping that this setback will persuade Baldoni to drop his lawsuit altogether.

One factor’s evidently: Lively’s new perfect pal Salma Hayek might be throwing the celebration of all events if she beats Baldoni as soon as and for all.