A U.S. court has dismissed actor Justin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against actor Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for $400 million. The judge rules that Lively's allegations of sexual harassment are protected by law and therefore cannot be the basis for defamation, writes Variety.
The lawsuit also targeted articles in The New York Times and statements from Lively's publicist, which Baldoni claims have spread false information about him to the media.
Lively has previously sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and claims that he and his film company Wayfarer Studios launched a smear campaign against her after her complaint about the work environment on the film "It Ends with Us."
The film has been surrounded by controversy, with lead actress Blake Lively accusing her co-star and director Baldoni of sexually harassing her during filming – and then, with the help of a PR firm, starting a smear campaign against Lively.
The New York Times investigated the case and published text messages that, according to the article, show how the smear campaign was planned. Baldoni claims that the newspaper collaborated with Lively to defame him.
The court dismisses Baldoni's entire lawsuit – but allows him to rephrase and potentially return regarding contract breaches. A trial in Lively's case against Baldoni is expected to take place in March 2026.
