Justin Baldoni’s $400million countersuit in opposition to Blake Lively DISMISSED amid It Ends With Us drama

Justin Baldoni‘s $400million countersuit in opposition to Blake Lively has been brushed aside – DailyMail.com can ascertain –  amid their ongoing It Ends With Us prison wrangle.

In December 2024, the actress sued Baldoni for allegedly sexually harassing her on set — claims he denied –  ahead of Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios fired again with a defamation swimsuit in opposition to Lively, her publicist Leslie Sloane and husband Ryan Reynolds.

Baldoni additionally waged warfare with The New York Times, submitting a $250million lawsuit in opposition to the newsletter over its bombshell tell-all on Lively’s sexual harassment claims in opposition to her former co-star on December 31, 2024.

Now in a surprise twist, a pass judgement on has brushed aside Baldoni’s lawsuit in a big setback for the actor’s hopes for a blockbuster win over the millionaire actress.

Judge Lewis J Liman has brushed aside Baldoni’s swimsuit alleging defamation and extortion at the foundation that each one Lively’s allegations had been made inside privileged courtroom papers. 

Liman stated within the order received via DailyMail.com: ‘The Wayfarer Parties have no longer alleged that Lively is accountable for any statements instead of the statements in her CRD grievance, which can be privileged. 

The drama between Lively and Baldoni formally erupted past due remaining yr

‘The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made further statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made further statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of attractive in a smear marketing campaign. 

‘But the Wayfarer Parties have no longer alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the Times would have critically doubted those statements had been true in response to the ideas to be had to them, as is needed for them to be chargeable for defamation below appropriate regulation.

‘The Wayfarer Parties’ further claims additionally fail. Accordingly, the Amended Complaint should be brushed aside in its entirety.’

The pass judgement on dominated: ‘The Times reviewed the to be had proof and reported, possibly in a dramatized method, what it believed to have came about. The Times had no obtrusive purpose to choose Lively’s model of occasions.’

DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios for remark however has but to listen to again. 

Wayfarer Studios used to be based via Baldoni and billionaire businessman Steve Sarowitz in 2019. 

A observation received via DailyMail.com from Blake Lively’s legal professionals learn: ‘Today’s opinion is a complete victory and an entire vindication for Blake Lively, at the side of those who Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, together with Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. 

‘As we have now stated from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit used to be a sham, and the Court noticed during it. 

‘We stay up for the following spherical, which is looking for legal professionals’ charges, treble damages and punitive damages in opposition to Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the opposite Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.’

Liman additionally weighed in at the calls for Lively sought at the set of It Ends With Us in an effort to save you additional discomfort at the set, together with his opinion pointing out: ‘Even in the event that they develop into unneeded, an worker can insist on protections at place of business for sexual harassment with out being accused of extortion. If an employer accedes, it can not later declare to be a sufferer of the worker’s wrongful threats.’

Additionally, Liman stated of the allegation that Lively threatened not to advertise the movie until her lower used to be launched, amongst different requests: ‘There additionally is not any allegation that Lively had a contractual legal responsibility to advertise the movie; if no longer, there’s no foundation to think that the worth that she conveyed in the case of her willingness to advertise represented anything else instead of a good business for the Wayfarer Parties’ willingness to make use of her lower.’ 

The prison combat between Lively and Baldoni formally erupted remaining yr after rumors of hysteria between the 2, with the actress accusing her co-star of sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear marketing campaign, allegations Baldoni denied.

In her lawsuit, Lively named quite a few Baldoni’s collaborators, together with his corporate Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and fiscal backer, and PR group of workers Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel.

‘I am hoping that my prison motion is helping pull again the curtain on those sinister retaliatory ways to hurt individuals who discuss up about misconduct and is helping give protection to others who is also focused,’ Lively informed The New York Times the day after she filed the grievance.

Baldoni has denied the allegations caused via Lively, whilst Lively, Reynolds and Sloane have denied the accusations made in litigation via Baldoni.

Baldoni’s crew has launched a website online which contains non-public communications reminiscent of textual content messages that had been incorporated in courtroom filings detailing his interactions with the Hollywood energy couple over the making of the romantic drama.

He claimed in courtroom filings they made efforts to usurp and undermine his enter because the director of It Ends with Us.

Baldoni’s crew in the past stated that the communications shared in courtroom filings at the website online makes issues transparent concerning the motives of each events.

The website online, which is are living on-line at thelawsuitinfo.com, comes amid a spate of high-profile litigation between the collaborators at the movie, which used to be successful on the field place of job remaining August.

Lively filed an 80-page civil rights grievance with the California Civil Rights Department in opposition to Baldoni on December 20, ahead of formally submitting a federal lawsuit on December 31.

Judge Lewis J Limon has brushed aside Baldoni’s swimsuit alleging defamation and extortion at the foundation that each one her allegations had been made inside privileged courtroom papers; Lively pictured in It Ends With Us 

Baldoni’s crew has launched a website online which contains non-public communications reminiscent of textual content messages that had been incorporated in courtroom filings detailing his interactions with the Hollywood energy couple over the making of romantic drama

In her lawsuit, the Gossip Girl alum accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in a couple of techniques – together with frame shaming her – and orchestrating a smear marketing campaign in opposition to her to break her recognition.

Baldoni informed the courtroom the trio had concocted ‘false accusations of sexual harassment’ in opposition to him. 

Baldoni and his reps have stated based on the lawsuit that Lively twisted the that means of textual content messages and misinform the general public about their interactions whilst making the movement image.

On June 3, DailyMail.com printed Lively, 37, dropped a declare of intentional and negligent infliction of emotional misery in opposition to Baldoni. 

Baldoni therefore sued the newspaper for $250 million in a defamation declare over a December 21 tale titled ‘”We Can Bury Anyone”: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine ;’ the newspaper has denied the allegations.

Since Lively’s grievance used to be filed, Baldoni has confronted quite a few skilled penalties, together with a lawsuit from a former publicist ; and being dropped via the company WME , which additionally reps Lively and Reynolds.

WME has denied claims that Lively and Reynolds leaned on them to free up Baldoni from their shopper roster, in line with Variety.