Federal Judge Tosses Justin Baldoni's $400 Million Lawsuit Against Blake Lively

Baldoni's Massive Lawsuit Dismissed in Ongoing Hollywood Feud

On June 9, 2025, a federal judge in Los Angeles dropped the hammer on Justin Baldoni’s explosive $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their longtime publicist Leslie Sloane. To say this case has been ruthlessly watched by the entertainment world would be an understatement. But in the end, the judge found Baldoni—best known for his role in “Jane the Virgin” and his work behind the scenes with Wayfarer Studios—simply didn’t have enough evidence for his headline-grabbing charges.

The suit, originally filed as a dramatic counterstrike after Lively’s own accusation of sexual harassment against Baldoni, accused her of far-reaching misdeeds. Baldoni’s legal team claimed Lively had deliberately swiped Wayfarer Studios’ film “It Ends With Us” right from under him, basically hijacked the movie’s premiere, and worked together with her publicist to orchestrate a supposed smear campaign. He also tossed Ryan Reynolds into the pile, even though the megastar actor seemed to have little on-the-record involvement.

Not content to just target the stars, Baldoni tried to drag The New York Times into the fray, after the paper ran a story covering Lively’s original complaint. His allegations of defamation and extortion didn’t last long. The judge threw out the claims, emphasizing that Wayfarer Studios failed to come up with anything resembling proof. Instead, the court ruled that reporting on public filings for a federal complaint is protected news, not the basis for a billion-dollar lawsuit.

Winners, Losers, and the Legal Road Ahead

Lively’s lawyers didn’t waste any time making their feelings clear. Gloating might be too strong a word, but they described the judge’s opinion as a “total victory” and dismissed the lawsuit as a “sham” cooked up in legal desperation. Still, it’s not a fully closed case: The judge told Baldoni he can tweak and re-file claims about breach of contract and tortious interference by June 23. So, there could be at least one more twist before the lawsuit’s corpse is buried for good.

Of course, this story isn’t all about courtroom drama—there’s real fallout for everybody involved. While Baldoni loudly denies all the allegations against him, he’s not in charge of the narrative right now. Lively’s separate lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation is moving forward. That’s set to bring even more tabloid heat, especially with a trial penciled in for March 2026. For Baldoni, every new development is a reminder that this war is far from over, even if his $400 million retaliation just collapsed in court.

The real stakes might not be about money at all. Hollywood’s watching to see if more lawsuits or public mudslinging erupts. With reputations—and maybe future jobs—on the line, nobody’s backing down yet. One thing’s crystal clear: the fight between Baldoni and Lively is locked in for another round, and every new court date promises more fireworks.