Justin Baldoni Says Ryan Reynolds Is Blake Lively’s ‘Co-Conspirator’ in Response to Lawsuit Dismissal Request

In a new legal back-and-forth, Justin Baldoni‘s lawyers have pushed back against Ryan Reynolds‘ request to be removed from their $400 million lawsuit.

Baldoni’s attorneys contended in court documents submitted Tuesday obtained by People that Reynolds shouldn’t be permitted to withdraw from the lawsuit, arguing he wasn’t merely “a supportive spouse” as claimed. The filing asserts that their complaint “specifically alleges ample facts” supporting claims against Reynolds, citing both “his direct actions and his liability as a co-conspirator.”

A spokesperson representing Reynolds responded on April 3, claiming the Wayfarer parties “finally realize the plain defects in their complaint” and are “claim[ing] defamation without alleging who was defamed, what specifically was said, or how anyone suffered actual harm.” The statement contrasted Baldoni, who allegedly “built his brand pretending to be a man who is ‘confident enough to listen’ to the women in his life,” with Reynolds, who “actually is that man” supporting his wife “as she stands up to individuals who not only harassed her but then have retaliated against her.”

The spokesperson further suggested that under various jurisdictions’ laws, the litigation “not only fails but may result in the Wayfarer Parties covering Ryan’s costs and attorneys’ fees for bringing such a frivolous case.”

This dispute stems from Reynolds’ earlier dismissal motion when his attorneys argued that Baldoni’s allegations hinged on Reynolds supposedly privately labeling Baldoni a “predator” – which they claim isn’t defamation unless Baldoni can demonstrate Reynolds didn’t believe this characterization. According to Reynolds’ lawyers, the complaint suggests “the opposite: that Mr. Reynolds genuinely believes Mr. Baldoni is a predator.”

The underlying conflict emerged when Lively, 37, initiated a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director Baldoni, 41, in December 2024, alleging workplace sexual harassment and a subsequent retaliatory smear operation. Baldoni denied these accusations and countersued for defamation and extortion.

Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, previously characterized Reynolds as a “key player” whose “fingerprints have been all over this smear campaign against Justin and the Wayfarer team since day one.”

According to Deadline, Baldoni’s legal team claims “Reynolds and Lively exploited Lively’s false insinuations to coerce the Wayfarer Parties to cede to them power and authority to which they were not entitled” and that the couple “engaged in a coordinated effort to exaggerate benign interactions in service of a false narrative that Lively had been sexually harassed… to instill terror in the Wayfarer Parties and leverage it to accumulate power.”

In their dismissal opposition, Baldoni’s attorneys referenced Reynolds’ lighthearted July 2024 press conference comment – “I’ve realized that I’m too big to fail at this point, so I just crush my enemies and drink their blood” – attempting to frame their perspective. Lively has similarly petitioned to dismiss Baldoni’s “vengeful and rambling” lawsuit, which Baldoni’s team called “abhorrent.” The high-profile entertainment industry clash is scheduled for trial in March 2026.