Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation suit against Blake Lively was thrown out of court in a June 9 decision by Judge Lewis J. Liman. Baldoni had countersued Lively; Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds; and her publicist, Leslie Sloane, for libel over statements that Baldoni was a “sexual predator” or had committed “sexual assault.” Liman wrote that Baldoni did “not adequately allege” that any statements Lively made to the Times were false except the claims that are also in her harassment suit against Baldoni, which are protected by law. Sloane’s and Reynolds’s statements were found to be repeated versions of Lively’s story, “which they had no reason to doubt” and are therefore not defamation, per the decision. Baldoni is allowed to refile but only allegations regarding interference with contracts.
“Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organizations united in defending women’s rights to speak up for their safety,” Lively, 37, wrote via her Instagram Story on Monday, June 9. “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. I’m more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.” Lively reportedly “cried with relief” after learning of the dismissal, a source told People. “She’s obviously relieved. They both are,” another source added. “She feels vindicated.”
Baldoni’s claim against the New York Times for defamation was also thrown out. Liman wrote that the Times is protected by fair-reporting privilege, a state-law defense that covers defamatory statements made in a court trial. New York State allows journalists to report on any “judicial proceeding, legislative proceeding, or other official proceeding,” without its being considered defamation. In December 2024, the Times published a report that Baldoni and his crisis-PR team, headed by Melissa Nathan, ran a “smear campaign” against Lively during It Ends With Us’s promotional run, based on Lively’s legal proceedings against Baldoni.
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“Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times,” Lively’s legal team said in a statement to Variety. “As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.” Sloane’s lawyer added in a statement to People that “Leslie Sloane has consistently said that she never defamed Baldoni or the Wayfarer Parties and she was wrongfully dragged into this lawsuit because the Wayfarer Parties wanted to actively harm Sloane’s reputation. Today’s decision by the Court makes clear that Sloane did nothing wrong. Sloane stands fully vindicated, and justice has been served.”
On June 3, Liman had ruled against Lively’s emotional-distress charges against Baldoni, but the director still faces multiple other complaints, including allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. The trial is currently scheduled for March 2026.
