Justin Baldoni has faced a significant setback in his USD 400 million defamation suit case against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively as a New York Judge has dismissed it after finding that Lively's allegations of sexual assault against Baldoni were legally protected and as a result of it, is immune from his suit.
Judge Lewis Liman on Monday dismissed the Clouds director's lawsuit which had also named her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloan for civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy. But he can amend and refile some allegations regarding interference with contracts.
His USD 250 million defamation suit against The New York Times pushing an "unverified and self-serving narrative" was also dismissed citing that the report was protected under "fair report" privilege, which allows media outlets to cover legal proceedings without incurring defamation liability.
The legal suit came after Lively filed a complaint in December 2024 with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) against Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, accusing them of sexual harassment and intimidation on the set of It Ends with Us. She along with Reynolds also alleged that Baldoni conducted a smear campaign against her for complaining about the conditions on set.
Baldoni's lawsuit primarily focussed on Lively "stealing the film" from him and his production house Wayfarer Studios by threatening to not promote it and them promoting a false narrative that the actor sexually assaulted her and launched a smear campaign against her.