Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds officially dismissed

Director and actor Justin Baldoni’s $400 million extortion and defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds has officially been dismissed after he failed to meet a court-imposed deadline to amend his claims.

Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit dismissed

According to a news report by Complex, in a ruling signed on October 31, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman of the Southern District of New York confirmed that Justin and his company, Wayfarer Studios, missed their opportunity to revive the case, bringing their legal battle to an end. The court noted that the plaintiffs “failed to respond” to an October 17 order asking why a final judgment shouldn’t be entered, prompting the case’s formal closure.

This marks the latest setback for Justin, whose complaint was first thrown out in June 2025 after Judge Liman determined that his defamation allegations lacked merit. The court found that statements cited in Justin’s suit, many drawn from Blake’s sexual harassment complaint and a New York Times report, were legally protected under litigation and journalistic privilege.

While this decision ends Justin’s defamation and extortion claims against Blake, Ryan, and The New York Times, he may still appeal once the court addresses motions tied to Lively’s request to recover legal fees.

About Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively’s lawsuit

Justin initially filed the high-profile lawsuit in January 2025, calling it a “counterattack” in what has become one of Hollywood’s most contentious legal showdowns.

The move came a month after Blake sued Justin and Wayfarer Studios, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation on the set of their film It Ends With Us, which Justin directed and co-starred in.

Blake’s filing described “disturbing” on-set behaviour, including an incident where Justin allegedly “leaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear down her neck,” telling her, “It smells so good.” She also claimed he insisted on including explicit scenes and made inappropriate comments about her marriage to Ryan.