Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively: Richter dismisses his defamation lawsuit

Next spectacular turn in the legal mud fight between Blake Lively (37) and Justin Baldoni (41): A court in New York dismissed the defamation of the US actor and director “only once” and her husband Ryan Reynolds (48). the responsible judge Lewis Liman justified his decision by the fact that Baldoni could not adequately prove the accusations made.

Baldoni had asked for $ 400 million for alleged calls for reputation after Lively had accused him of publicly sexual harassment. But Judge Lewis J. Liman now made it clear: Lively’s statements are legally protected and therefore not sued. Judge Liman not only denied the defamation lawsuit, but also other allegations such as alleged extortion. Only in a small point was he opened whether Baldoni can again submit a revised lawsuit regarding “illegal contractual influence”.

For Blake Lively, the decision means a victory, as her lawyers emphasize: “Today’s decision is a complete victory and a complete rehabilitation for Blake Lively as well as everyone who attracted Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer participants in this retaliation – including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and the ‘New York Times’.” The next step will now examine the reimbursement of attorney costs and claims for damages – including punitive damage – against Baldoni and the other participants.

In her part, Blake Lively had already filed a lawsuit against Baldoni in December 2024 – because of sexual harassment and retaliation on the set of the film “only once” (original title: “It Ends with us”), in which Baldoni participated as a producer, director and leading actor. She and the Wayfarer Studios team accuses him of having started a targeted dirt campaign against her after her complaint.

In addition to the celebrities, Baldoni also sued the “New York Times”, which had reported on the case. But here, too, the judge saw no reason for a defamation lawsuit. The reporting is protected by the so -called “Fair Report Privilege” – legal protection that allows media to report on ongoing or submitted legal procedures without being liable for possible call damage.

A spokesman for the newspaper welcomed the judgment: “We are grateful that the court has recognized the lawsuit against the” New York Times “when what it was: a baseless attempt to prevent honest reporting. Our journalists have reported an important story with care and fairness.”

In his detailed decision, judge Liman found that the original allegations against Baldoni were made to the California civil law authority as part of an official complaint – and therefore fall under the so -called litigation privilege. This protects legal statements from becoming the subject of defamation lawsuits.

According to the court, the statements of Ryan Reynolds, who is said to have described Baldoni as a “sexual predator” in a private framework, also fell under these protection – since Reynolds trusted the representation of his wife. The same applies to her PR agent Leslie Sloane, who, according to the judgment, only resorted to Lively’s version of the events.

A process in Lively’s own lawsuit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios is scheduled for March 2026. It remains to be seen whether Baldoni will try again until then to assert individual allegations in a revised form – or whether this chapter is finally completed for him.