Blake Lively breaks silence on legal win against Justin Baldoni

WASHINGTON: After a judge on Monday dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million defamation claim against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane and the ‘Gossip Girl’ actress spoke out about the decision on social media, according to E! News.

Blake Lively spoke out after a judge dismissed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit against her, Ryan Reynolds, the couple’s publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times on June 9.

“Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us,” she wrote in a post on her Instagram Stories, adding, “While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back,” according to E! News.

She shared further that she is “more resolved than ever” to “stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves” before sharing a list of organisations dedicated to causes including women’s rights, domestic violence and employment law, according to E! News.

“With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me,” she concluded the post. “Many of you I know. Many of you I don’t. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you.”

In Baldoni’s suit, the ‘It Ends With Us’ director and star alleged that Lively “stole” the 2024 film from him and his Wayfarer Studios production company and threatened to “attack” him in the press if her demands were not met.

However, Judge Lewis J Liman ruled that the Wayfarer Parties “have not adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions,” according to documents obtained by E! News.

As per Variety, Judge Lewis J Liman tossed out Baldoni’s entire lawsuit — which also alleged extortion and other claims — but allowed him to amend and refile a couple of allegations regarding interference with contracts.

“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 lawyers said in a statement.

“As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”

Lively has sued Baldoni in federal court for sexual harassment and retaliation, alleging that he and the producers of “It Ends With Us” launched a smear campaign against her after she complained about conditions on the set of the film.

Reynolds, Lively’s husband, was accused in the suit of defaming Baldoni by calling him a “sexual predator”. The judge found that Reynolds was relying on Lively’s version of events, which he had no reason to doubt. The high-profile case is set to go to trial on March 9, 2026. (ANI)