Actor Blake Lively is celebrating a major legal win after a federal judge dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $650 million lawsuit against her, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times. The lawsuit stemmed from a bitter legal battle tied to the 2024 film It Ends With Us, which both Lively and Baldoni worked on.
Taking to Instagram, Blake expressed relief and solidarity with others facing similar legal pressure. “Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back,” she wrote.
Lively reaffirmed her commitment to defending women’s rights, stating:
“I’m more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves… their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.”
She also shared a list of advocacy organizations, such as CHILD USA, Equal Rights Advocates, and the California Women’s Law Center, offering support and resources.
The lawsuit, originally filed by Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, accused Lively, Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times of defamation and extortion. Baldoni alleged the group tried to ruin his reputation with sexual misconduct accusations during the film’s promotional phase.
However, Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that the claims against Lively were based solely on statements in a formal CRD (Civil Rights Department) complaint — which are legally privileged. The judge noted that while other parties made public comments, there was no basis to implicate Lively beyond her protected complaint.
Blake’s legal team hailed the decision as a “total victory and complete vindication.”
The ruling effectively ends Baldoni’s high-stakes countersuit and puts a spotlight on the broader issue of retaliatory lawsuits silencing women who speak up.
