Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400 Million Defamation Lawsuit Against Blake Lively
A federal judge has dismissed Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively, who previously filed harassment claims against him.
Overview
- Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively was dismissed by a New York federal judge.
- Blake Lively had filed her own complaints against Baldoni for sexual harassment and retaliation during filming.
- The judge ruled that Lively's lawsuit was not defamatory, as it was based on her belief in the truth of her claims.
- Baldoni's attorney has been invited to amend four of the seven claims against Lively in their ongoing legal battle.
- Lively's legal team is preparing to seek attorneys' fees and damages following the dismissal of Baldoni's lawsuit.
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Analysis
Left
Dismiss Justin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively; legal disputes continue between them.
Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds has been dismissed by a federal judge.
Lively and Baldoni have both filed legal complaints against each other, with Lively alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, and Baldoni responding with his own complaint.
The New York judge ruled that Baldoni cannot sue Lively for defamation over claims made in her lawsuit, as allegations in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims and it was not defamatory for Lively to sue Baldoni over something she believed to be true.
Baldoni denied claims made by Lively and Reynolds, filing suits against both parties for alleged attempts to ruin his reputation.
Baldoni has until June 23 to file an amended complaint limited to contract-related claims, as defamation and extortion claims have been dismissed.
Center
There are not enough sources from this perspective to provide an analysis.
Right
Dismissed lawsuits highlight ongoing legal disputes between Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds.
Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion.
Lively's claim of emotional distress was dropped by the court.
'It Ends With Us,' an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a $50 million debut.
The director’s $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times was also dismissed.
Left
Dismiss Justin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively; legal disputes continue between them.
Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds has been dismissed by a federal judge.
Lively and Baldoni have both filed legal complaints against each other, with Lively alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, and Baldoni responding with his own complaint.
The New York judge ruled that Baldoni cannot sue Lively for defamation over claims made in her lawsuit, as allegations in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims and it was not defamatory for Lively to sue Baldoni over something she believed to be true.
Baldoni denied claims made by Lively and Reynolds, filing suits against both parties for alleged attempts to ruin his reputation.
Baldoni has until June 23 to file an amended complaint limited to contract-related claims, as defamation and extortion claims have been dismissed.
Center
There are not enough sources from this perspective to provide an analysis.
Right
Dismissed lawsuits highlight ongoing legal disputes between Justin Baldoni, Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds.
Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively and Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion.
Lively's claim of emotional distress was dropped by the court.
'It Ends With Us,' an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a $50 million debut.
The director’s $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times was also dismissed.
Articles (7)
MSNBC·4d·"…U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in New York summarized them in two broad categories: First, that Lively, helped by actor Ryan Reynolds (Lively’s husband) and publicist Leslie Sloane, threatened to refuse to promote the film, which Baldoni directed, and to attack him in the press if she didn’t get control and credit."
Slate·4d·"…legally at least, a lot of things seem to be going right for her, with a court that seems uninterested in joining in on the #MeToo backlash that’s been helping fuel public sentiment against her."
PBS NewsHour·4d·"…The judge ruled that Baldoni can’t sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her legal claim, because allegations made in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims."
CNN·4d·"…The legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively continues as both parties remain determined to pursue their claims against each other."
New York Post·6M·No highlight available for this article.
The Daily Wire·4d·"…While Baldoni’s statement did not imply defeat, Lively’s legal team called the judge’s decision “a total victory and a complete vindication.”"
Breitbart News·4d·"…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."