The Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively back-and-forth post It Ends With Us has honestly been script-worthy in itself. The lawsuits, the public spats, the newspaper exposé — we’ve seen it all. But with Baldoni’s suit now dismissed by the courts, we’re finally seeing some light at the end of the tunnel, with Lively choosing not to celebrate but instead shine a light on the need to protect women’s right to speak up.
BBC reports that Judge Lewis Liman has formally dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times. Baldoni really cast a wide net there. Lively took the first step in this saga when she filed a legal complaint alleging that Baldoni’s company, Wayfarer Studios, oversaw sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us and that Baldoni retaliated against her when she brought those charges.
Of course, before this entire saga, Baldoni had built a reputation as one of Hollywood’s foremost champions of gender equality. The Jane the Virgin star had even won awards on that front — awards that have since been rescinded. But Baldoni’s gripe with the allegations was that Blake Lively decided to go public with the treatment she was allegedly subjected to on his set via The New York Times.
The Times brought forth evidence of Baldoni’s alleged planned public smear of Lively. It was reported that Baldoni had a falling-out with Lively well before the movie came out and started planning how to make her seem like the villain. A leaked text showed even his own PR firm stunned by how easy it was to make the public think the worst about women. Baldoni dismissed the report as texts taken out of context and that the internet was just doing all the attacking organically.
Furthermore, Baldoni filed a countersuit against Lively’s camp — including the publication — asking for $400 million. He alleged that they were all involved in a coordinated plot to ruin his reputation and career. Judge Liman zeroed in on two main allegations: that Lively “stole” the film through threats, and that Lively and her co-accused fabricated the sexual abuse story from thin air.
Judge Liman reasoned that Baldoni’s counsel did not prove that Lively’s threats were wrongful illegal extortion, rather than just renegotiation and hard bargaining. He also added that Baldoni took issue with statements made by Lively inside a lawsuit — and those are considered “privileged” statements. As for The Times, the judge said Baldoni’s team failed to prove they acted with actual malice. Therefore, the judge dismissed the entire case.
In what the press is now describing as a “total victory” for Lively, the star herself was very measured in her response. The Gossip Girl star has already been open about how hard her life has been since her private affairs became fodder for fans to debate. On a talk show appearance, Lively shared that during this time she often leaned on her kids to recalibrate her on what truly matters. She later took to Instagram Stories with a reserved but powerful statement, thanking and spotlighting 19 organizations that stand up for women’s rights, saying: “I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit.”
Blake Lively via Instagram:
“Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organizations united in defending women’s rights to speak up for their safety. Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While… pic.twitter.com/SwVmUoTeoh
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) June 9, 2025
Powerful words. The “spectacle,” however, is not over yet—as the main suit is still scheduled for a later date.
