A judge has dismissed the countersuit filed by actor and director Justin Baldoni against his ‘It Ends With Us’ co-star Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment and retaliation.
US district court judge Lewis Liman’s decision is the latest development in the contentious legal battle surrounding the dark romantic drama. Lively’s initial lawsuit against Baldoni was filed in late December.
Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios countersued in January for $400 million (£294.9m), accusing Lively and her husband, ‘Deadpool’ actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.
The judge ruled that Baldoni cannot sue Lively for defamation based on claims she made in her lawsuit, as allegations made in lawsuits are legally exempt from libel claims.
Judge Liman also determined that Baldoni’s claim that Lively stole creative control of the film did not meet the legal definition of extortion under California law.
While the lawsuit alleged that Lively threatened to refuse to promote the film, Judge Liman wrote that Wayfarer “does not allege facts showing that Lively had an obligation to promote the film or to approve marketing materials”.
Baldoni’s legal team has the option to revise the lawsuit if they wish to pursue alternative claims related to a potential breach of contract by Lively, the judge stated.
‘It Ends With Us,’ an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel blending romance with themes of domestic violence, was released in August and surpassed box office expectations with a $50 million (£36.8m) debut.
However, the film’s release was overshadowed by speculation about disagreements between Lively and Baldoni.
The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which had reported on Lively’s sexual harassment allegations.
“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, (publicist) Leslie Sloane and The New York Times,” Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, said in a prepared statement.
The lawyers stated they “look forward to the next round” of seeking lawyers’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages.
Lively gained prominence in the 2005 film ‘The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants’ and the TV series ‘Gossip Girl’ from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films such as ‘The Town’ and ‘The Shallows.’
Baldoni is known for his role in the TV comedy ‘Jane The Virgin,’ directing the 2019 film ‘Five Feet Apart,’ and authoring ‘Man Enough,’ a book challenging traditional concepts of masculinity.
