A US judge has dismissed actor Justin Baldoni's $400 million (£295 million) defamation lawsuit against his former co-star, Blake Lively.
Lively accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her while filming the 2024 movie 'It Ends With Us'.
Baldoni, in turn, accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, the New York Times and others of orchestrating a smear campaign against him.
He accused Lively of trying to "hijack" the movie, then blamed him when her "disastrous" promotional approach prompted an online backlash against her.
Why the case was dismissed:
The US District Court Judge ruled that Baldoni can't sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims.
He further ruled that Baldoni's claims that Lively stole creative control of the film did not count as extortion under California law.
What Justin Baldoni may do next:
Baldoni's legal team are free to revise the lawsuit if they want to pursue different claims related to whether Lively breached a contract, the judge said.
"Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively," her lawyers announced in a statement.
As we have said from day one, this lawsuit was a sham.
Lively is still seeking unspecified damages in her own case, and a March 2026 trial remains scheduled.
