Judge dismisses Baldoni's lawsuit against Lively
The first round of the legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively ended this Monday, with an apparent victory for the actress, who saw the defamation accusation that hung over her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, being rejected by a New York judge.
The accusation — of defamation, extortion and invasion of privacy — was based on an initial complaint filed by the actress, who accused Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior on the set of It Ends With Us, a film that Baldoni directed and co-starred in with Lively. The plaintiff sought compensation estimated at 400 million dollars, or 388 million euros.
In addition to the actress, Baldoni's lawsuit also targeted her husband, fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, as well as her publicist, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times. The famous newspaper was the target of the lawsuit for having published an article on December 21, 2024, which first reported a complaint that Lively had made about Baldoni and Jamey Heath, the film's lead producer, of harassment on the set and of launching a retaliation campaign against her after she complained.
On Monday, Lewis J. Liman, a judge in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, dismissed Baldoni's lawsuit, saying he failed to justify Lively's demands as "unlawful extortion," as he claims, the NYT reported. He also said the defamation claim centers on statements made in Lively's complaint , which cannot be considered defamatory because such claims are protected by law and are therefore immune from legal action.
For the same reason, The New York Times is also covered by this immunity, since the information it provided was taken from this legal process protected by law, the newspaper adds.
[The police are called to a house after a noise complaint. When they arrive, the officers find a wild birthday party. But the birthday boy, José Valbom, has disappeared. “ O Zé faz 25 ” is Observador’s first fiction podcast, co-produced by Coyote Vadio and featuring the voices of Tiago Teotónio Pereira, Sara Matos, Madalena Almeida, Cristovão Campos, Vicente Wallenstein, Beatriz Godinho, José Raposo and Carla Maciel. You can listen to the 3rd episode on Observador’s website , on Apple Podcasts , on Spotify and on Youtube Music . And the first episode here and the second here .]
In a statement following the ruling, Lively’s attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb said the ruling represents “a complete victory and vindication for Blake Lively, as well as all those whom Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer [Baldoni’s production company] dragged into their retaliation lawsuit.” “As we have said from day one, this lawsuit was a sham, and the court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which seeks attorneys’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages against Baldoni … and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation,” they concluded.
Baldoni's lawyers, on the other hand, chose not to comment on the decision, which could still be appealed in the US 2nd Circuit Court.
observador
