Justin Baldoni’s recent legal fight has received a big development. An NY judge has tossed out his $400 million defamation lawsuit against celebrities Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. In February 2020, Lively filed a multimillion dollar defamation lawsuit against Baldoni. He directed and starred in the upcoming film adaptation of “It Ends With Us.” Baldoni id Lively and Reynolds of conspiring to destroy his career with made-up claims of sexual harassment.
The judge agreed with Lively, siding with him on the grounds that her charges against him had been made under a legal privilege. In practice, this ruling gives her statements absolute immunity from judicial review. The judge rejected Baldoni’s unsupported claims. In addition, he gave legal protection from any lawsuits to Lively’s allegations.
The stars of this ongoing dispute Their story is as much about the making of production of “It Ends With Us.” Lively, who starred as one of the film’s leads, went on to publicly accuse Baldoni of sexual harassment on set. Baldoni has reportedly made the controversial decision to go on the personal attack against Lively. He alleged that she went out to destroy his reputation once he was fired for doing so.
Baldoni is right to fight back against Lively and Reynolds by filing a lawsuit. He simultaneously filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times. The court ultimately dismissed the claim after determining that the newspaper’s reporting on the allegations was protected opinion. This ruling was made under the “fair report” privilege.
Baldoni’s lawyers did not provide any statements following the judge’s ruling. Realistically, though, Lively’s legal team were heartened by the outcome.
“This 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, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times.” – Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb.
They further stated, “As we have said from day one, this [$400m] lawsuit was a sham, and the court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”
These dismissals of high-profile defamation claims underscore the challenges that such allegations face in the entertainment industry. Decisions rendered in this newly created home district can then be appealed to the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals. This may set in motion unprecedented developments in this specific case.