The legal team of Justin Baldoni called out Blake Lively on her premature celebration after the court dismissed his $400 million lawsuit. The case accused Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane of defamation, extortion, and interference.
Here’s what Baldoni’s lawyer revealed about the ruling, which claims remain, and how they plan to continue the legal fight.
Justin Baldoni’s lawyers say legal battle is not over following defamation case dismissal
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer has confirmed that the actor-director will continue legal action against Blake Lively. A federal judge recently dismissed his $400 million defamation lawsuit.
On June 10, Bryan Freedman stated, “Ms. Lively and her team’s predictable declaration of victory is false,” adding that the court has allowed them to amend four of the seven dismissed claims, as per Variety. Freedman said, “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.”
He added, “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.”
On June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s defamation claims against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times. He ruled that California law protects sexual harassment allegations. The court gave Baldoni until June 23 to refile amended claims for contract interference and breach of the implied covenant.
On June 9, Lively’s legal team stated, “As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.” Attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb added, “No amount of spin, bluster, or creative accounting from Baldoni’s legal team will change the embarrassing reality… the plan to sue Blake Lively and her family into oblivion has been a complete and total failure.”
Lively commented via Instagram about “the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit” and emphasized support for women’s rights groups.
The trial is currently scheduled for March 2026.
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