The legal team representing actor and director, Justin Baldoni, has labelled a post from his It Ends With Us co-star, Blake Lively, as a "false victory" after Lively celebrated a judge 'dismissing' Baldoni's $400m defamation claim against her.
In contrast, Baldoni's lawyers says the case is far from over and that they have been asked to "amend four out of the seven claims against Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations".
Lively's legal team said the judge's ruling was "a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively [...] As we have said from day one, this [$400m] 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."
To recap: back in December 2024, following a disastrous press tour which saw them refuse to pose together and which sparked a lot of TikTok drama, Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and orchestrating a smear campaign against her in a lawsuit. She alleged that Baldoni, who both acted and directed the movie, pressured her to add additional sex scenes into the script, that he made unwanted comments about her appearance and that he showed her pornographic imagery on his phone which made her uncomfortable, amongst other inappropriate behaviours.
Baldoni denied all accusations. In response, his legal counsel branded the suit as "false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt" and stated that Lively had displayed diva-ish tendencies on set, including "threatening to not show up" and "threatening to not promote the film," leading to its "demise during release."
They attempted to re-angle the lawsuit as Lively wanting to get revenge after her reputation was damaged by the press tour drama.
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A month later in January 2025, Baldoni then launched a counter lawsuit and alleged Lively was also attempting to damage his reputation after she and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, tried to overrule his role as a director by "deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio".
His countersuit statement added, "Then, when Lively and Reynolds' efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat [Baldoni]."
In turn, Lively denied this and said Baldoni was simply trying to deflect attention away from himself following the sexual harassment allegations.
So, what happens now?
Did Blake Lively win her case against Justin Baldoni?
In many ways, the case is still ongoing. After Lively posted on Instagram that the "retaliatory lawsuit" was "defeated", Baldoni's legal team issued a statement saying: "Ms. Lively and her team's predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling. 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."
It went on to say, "This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened.
"Most importantly, Ms. Lively's own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition."
The statement ended by thanking the public for its "organic show of support" and praising the "dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity."
Baldoni also attempted to sue the New York Times in a $250m suit for its coverage of Lively's allegations, but this too was dismissed by a judge earlier this week, with the court stating the publication was protected under "fair report" privileges and that it had not acted with malice.
Will Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni be going to court?
It looks as though the case will still be going to court, with a trial slated for 2026.
Judge Lewis Liman, presiding over the case, said Baldoni could amend and refile his allegations regarding an interference of contracts by 23 June. Judging by his legal counsel's statement on the latest update in the case, it sounds like this is something they're keen to do.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
