Justin Baldoni just lost a big legal battle to his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. PEOPLE reports a judge dismissed his $400 million countersuit against the couple, their publicist, and The New York Times.
The New York Times was the first to report on Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit against Baldoni. In turn, Baldoni sued the publication for what he considered biased reporting on the matter.
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The New York Times stood by its report. He sued the publication for $250 million.
He does have one loophole. The judge gave Baldoni’s legal team permission to amend the claims for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract if they choose to. They have until June 23 to do so.
“The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged,” Judge Liman wrote in the opinion. “The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign. But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.”
Lively’s lawyers Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb call the decision a “total victory and a complete vindication,” adding, “As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it,” they say in the statement, adding that “we look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages” from the Wayfarer parties who they say “perpetrated this abusive litigation.” She has since spoken out on social media about the legal win, advising women to not be afraid to come forward with their experiences.
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