Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400M defamation lawsuit: Blake Lively's commented response
Headline: Blake Lively's Legal Drama with Justin Baldoni Takes a Turn: Judge Dismisses His $400M Countersuit
In the latest twist of the high-profile legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, the latter's whopping $400 million defamation countersuit against his former collaborator has been axed by a New York judge.
The court's decision came on Monday, following a series of indirect barbs exchanged between the two stars over several months. The suit, which involved allegations of extortion, defamation, and more, was deemed unwarranted by Judge Lewis Liman.
Over three years ago, Blake and Justin teamed up for the doomed 2024 film It Ends With Us, the screen adaptation of the blockbuster novel by Colleen Hoover. After the movie's release, Blake filed a lawsuit against Justin and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, accusing him of sexual harassment and initiating a preemptive smear campaign. Justin vehemently denied these allegations and retaliated with his monumental countersuit, which also named Blake's husband, Ryan Reynolds, their publicist Leslie Sloane, and her agency Vision PR, Inc.
So, what led to the judge's verdict? Here's a simple breakdown.
Extortion
The crux of Baldoni's countersuit hinged on the claim that Blake "stole the film" from him and Wayfarer Studios by threatening not to promote it, coupled with the fabricated sexual assault narrative against him. However, Judge Liman determined that Baldoni and his legal team hadn't adequately proven that Lively's threats were malicious extortion rather than legally permissible negotiations.
Defamation
In terms of defamation, Judge Liman maintained that Baldoni's team had not provided proof that Lively was responsible for any statements other than those made in her lawsuit, which were considered privileged. Additionally, there was no real evidence to suggest that the New York Times article, siding with Blake's version of events, was published with malice. According to Judge Liman, The Times had evaluated the available evidence and reported their findings, even if in an overly dramatic style, without a clear bias towards Lively.
Following this verdict, Blake shared her official response on the matter, echoing her attorney's statement to the press. A part of her statement read, "Like countless others, I've felt the sting of a retaliatory lawsuit...Even though the suit against me was quashed, many don't have the means to defend themselves." She pledged to continue advocating for women's rights to speak up against such misconduct.
As of now, Baldoni has yet to comment on this recent turn of events.
- HTCity
- Blake Lively
- Ryan Reynolds
- Hollywood
- Film Industry
- Sexual Harassment
- Lawsuit
NewsHTCityCelebrity
In the realm of entertainment, especially within the Hollywood film industry, Blake Lively's legal drama with Justin Baldoni continues to unfold, as movie-making clashes with movies-and-tv. Meanwhile, the dismissal of Baldoni's countersuit against Lively has sparked a ripple of conversation among celebrities about the stepped-up fight against sexual harassment in the cricket of showbiz.
