It is damn near impossible to keep up with the Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni of it all these days. We just got (another) MAJOR update on their ongoing It Ends With Us legal battle, and it might be the legal twist of the century: On June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Justin and Wayfarer Parties’ $400 million lawsuit against Blake and Ryan Reynolds, which alleged extortion and defamation. And that’s not all! The judge also tossed out Justin’s $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times. According to People, Justin’s legal team can still “amend the claims for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract if they choose to” until June 23.
This news comes shortly after Blake dropped two emotional distress claims against Justin and after Justin’s team subpoenaed and then un-subpoenaed Taylor Swift. A trial date is currently scheduled for March 2026… So, why was Justin Baldoni’s countersuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds just dropped? Here’s everything we know so far about this shocking update.
According to a filing obtained by People, Judge Liman wrote, “The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged.” (This means that her sexual harassment accusations were legally protected and therefore cannot be held legally responsible in a lawsuit.)
“The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign,” the filing continued. “But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane, or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.” In other words, the Wayfarer Parties did not allege that Ryan, Leslie, or the Times knew their statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for the truth — a requirement for a defamation claim to succeed.
Needless to say, Blake’s lawyers are absolutely thrilled. In a response statement to Page Six, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb called the judge’s decision a “total victory and a complete vindication” for Blake. “As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it,” the attorneys added. Now, they are “look[ing] forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages” over the “abusive litigation.”
Justin and his team haven’t shared a response statement yet, but stay tuned.
