A federal judge on Monday dismissed the $400 million countersuit filed by Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane.
Liman’s order also dismissed a separate $250 million defamation suit brought by Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties against The New York Times. The judge’s opinion found that the core statements at issue were either privileged or did not meet the legal standard for defamation.
“The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged,” Liman wrote in his opinion and order. “The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign. But the Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane, or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.”
The judge added: “The Wayfarer Parties’ additional claims also fail. Accordingly, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety.”
Attorneys for Sloane, Lively, and Baldoni did not immediately respond to requests for comment from NTD.
Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, described the judge’s decision as a “total victory and a complete vindication” for Lively, Reynolds, Sloane, and The New York Times, in a statement sent to multiple media outlets.
“As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it,” they stated. The attorneys also said they intend to seek attorneys’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages from the Wayfarer Parties, who they claim “perpetrated this abusive litigation.”
While the judge dismissed all current claims, he noted that Baldoni’s legal representatives could amend their claims for unfair treatment and interference from The New York Times if they choose to do so. The deadline is set for June 23.
The legal dispute began after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation during the production of the film “It Ends With Us.” Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties responded with a countersuit, alleging that Lively, Reynolds, Sloane, and The Times conspired to damage Baldoni’s reputation.