Justin Baldoni missed a chance to appeal a ruling that threw out his multimillion-dollar defamation claims against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times.
New court papers obtained by the Daily Mail reveal a final judgment has been entered, seemingly ending Baldoni’s lawsuits against the three parties in the district court.
The 41-year-old actor and director had been given a window to appeal after a judge dismissed his case back in June, but that deadline passed without any action.
US District Court Judge Lewis Liman revealed in court on Friday that he had ‘contacted all parties on October 17 to warn them that he’d be entering a final judgment to conclude the case.’
According to People, Lively was the only one to respond, asking the judge to finalize the dismissal while keeping her request for legal fees open — a move the court approved. Baldoni still retains the right to appeal the judgment once the court rules on this request.
Baldoni’s $400 million suit against the Times accused the newspaper of defaming him with its bombshell exposé detailing Lively’s claims of sexual harassment on set of It Ends With Us — allegations he has repeatedly denied.
Justin Baldoni’s courtroom crusade against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times has come crashing down — after the actor missed his chance to appeal a ruling that threw out his multimillion-dollar defamation claims
New court papers obtained by the Daily Mail reveal a final judgment has been entered, officially ending Baldoni’s lawsuits against parties including Lively
The legal war erupted last year when Lively accused Baldoni of inappropriate behavior on set, prompting him and his company, Wayfarer Studios, to fire back with a defamation suit against the actress, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and husband Ryan Reynolds.
But now, part of his counterattack appears to have collapsed — leaving Baldoni to now face Lively’s sexual harassment lawsuit.
According to the latest filings, the actress is also seeking to recover her attorneys’ fees from defending against Baldoni’s failed claims.
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Baldoni, Lively and Reynolds for further comment on the story.
The news comes after the latest allegations in the ongoing litigation between the former co-stars focus on claims the actor allegedly illicitly used technology to orchestrate a smear campaign against his costar.
Baldoni and his team of attorneys, agents and public relations professionals used digital tricks to conceal critical evidence in the legal proceedings, lawyers for Lively, 38, claimed in a court filing obtained by the Daily Mail on Wednesday.
Her team claimed: ‘Defendants have hid the ball at every turn in the discovery process, either failing to produce documents, or improperly cloaking them in the attorney-client privilege.’
Lively’s lawyers said that from Baldoni’s camp forced ‘no less than twelve discovery-related motions to date against’ them.
The 41-year-old actor and director had been given a window to appeal after a judge dismissed his case back in June, but that deadline quietly expired without any action
The decision marks a serious blow for Baldoni, who had brought a suit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds
A former Baldoni associate in Jonesworks LLC – a PR firm and a third-party defendant in the case – raised similar allegations in a filing on Wednesday, Deadline reported after reviewing court documents.
Attorneys for Lively, who is wed to actor Ryan Reynolds, 49, said in the court paper that Baldoni coordinated an effort with associates from Wayfarer Studios and PR professionals such as Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel, with apps, auto-deleting messages and other digital elements coming into play.
Baldoni and his team worked in concert to try to destroy Lively’s reputation with the use of multiple digital resources, which included the app Signal; voice memos; and other software, lawyers for the Los Angeles-born actress said in the court paper.
Baldoni and his associates took multiple actions indicating they were aware litigation could be in the future, and sought to conceal information in the case that would not be advantageous if publicly exposed, Lively’s lawyers said in the filing.
Details about Signal and other efforts were gleaned from depositions with former employees of Nathan, including Katherine Case and Breanna Butler, Deadline reported, citing legal documents it reviewed.
The Gossip Girl star claimed Baldoni had sexually harassed her while making It Ends with Us, which was a surprise hit when it arrived in theaters in August last year. Baldoni denied the allegation.
The movie earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars.
The motion picture, which also starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, was based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover.
The storyline of the film centered around a toxic relationship between Lily Bloom (played by Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
It Ends with Us, directed by Baldoni, was a surprise hit when it arrived in theaters in 2024
It earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars
According to a logline for the film, Lily ‘overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life,’ as ‘a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.’
In December last year, Lively named Baldoni in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional stress.
In her lawsuit, the actress accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways – including body shaming her – and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Nathan and Abel.
Baldoni had initially asked for $250 million in damages from The New York Times mentioning a report it published on the topic, then added it into the $400 million lawsuit he filed this past January.
In the suit, Baldoni named Lively, her spouse Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, citing the aforementioned report in legal documents. It was thrown out of court this past June.
All parties have denied all of the allegations against them.
