Actor accused the It Ends With Us actress of trying to smear him and others.<\/p>\n
Get the latest from Mark Daniell straight to your inbox Sign Up <\/p>\n
Published Nov 04, 2025 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 4 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n A New York judge has put the kibosh on Justin Baldoni\u2019s $400-million lawsuit against Blake Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds and The New York Times.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account.Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on.Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists.Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authors<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n After Lively accused her It Ends With Us director and co-star of sexual harassment on the set of the 2024 movie, Baldoni, 41, countersued the actress and her husband for $400 million, accusing the pair of trying to smear him and others involved in the production with false allegations of sexual and other harassment.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a case about two of the most powerful stars in the world deploying their enormous power to steal an entire film right out of the hands of its director and production studio,\u201d the suit read<\/a>. \u201cThen, when Lively and Reynolds\u2019 efforts failed to win them the acclaim they believed they so richly deserved, they turned their fury on their chosen scapegoat.\u201d<\/p>\n Baldoni also sued the Times for $250 million, alleging that the paper coordinated with Lively to smear him when it published an article with the headline \u201cWe Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Your Midday Sun<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Shortly after he filed his lawsuit, Lively called Baldoni\u2019s legal action \u201canother chapter in the abuser playbook.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis is an age-old story: A woman speaks up with concrete evidence of sexual harassment and retaliation and the abuser attempts to turn the tables on the victim,\u201d her lawyers said in a statement to Us Weekly<\/a>. \u201cThis is what experts call DARVO. Deny. Attack. Reverse Victim Offender. Wayfarer has opted to use the resources of its billionaire co-founder to issue media statements, launch meritless lawsuits, and threaten litigation to overwhelm the public\u2019s ability to understand that what they are doing is retaliation against sexual harassment allegations.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawsuit officially ends months after first dismissal<\/p>\n Back in June, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman tossed Baldoni\u2019s lawsuit for the first time saying that he couldn\u2019t sue Lively for defamation over accusations contained in her legal claim, because allegations made in a lawsuit can\u2019t be subject to libel. Liman also nixed Baldoni\u2019s assertions that Lively stole creative control of the film.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The Times were let off the hook because Baldoni had not shown that the paper \u201cacted with actual malice.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAs we have said from day one, this \u2018$400 million\u2019 lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it,\u201d Lively\u2019s attorneys said at the time<\/a>, calling the decision a \u201ctotal victory and a complete vindication.\u201d<\/p>\n The judge, however, said Baldoni could revise the lawsuit if he wanted to pursue different claims, but he failed to do so according to the most recent court documents obtained by PEOPLE<\/a>, USA Today<\/a> and other media outlets.<\/p>\n After his initial challenge was dismissed in June, Lively celebrated Baldoni\u2019s defeat.<\/p>\n \u201cLike so many others, I\u2019ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us,\u201d the actress, 38, wrote on her Instagram Stories, according to PEOPLE<\/a>. \u201cWhile the suit against me was defeated, so many don\u2019t have the resources to fight back.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 5<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Lively then pledged to \u201cstand for every woman\u2019s right to have a voice in protecting themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n Legal battle far from over<\/p>\n Lively\u2019s lawsuit is still going ahead and has been given a March 2026 trial date with the Gossip Girl set to testify.<\/p>\n \u201cThe ultimate moment for a plaintiff\u2019s story to be told is at trial,\u201d Lively\u2019s lawyer told PEOPLE<\/a>. \u201cWe expect that to be the case here [with Lively]. So we would, of course, expect her to be a witness at her trial. Of course, she\u2019s going to testify.\u201d<\/p>\n Lively won\u2019t be the only one speaking out against Baldoni, either.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are individuals that were witnesses to or experienced misconduct that is relevant to Ms. Lively\u2019s claims,\u201d her attorney, Mike Gottlieb, said this past May. \u201cWe expect their testimony, particularly about what took place on set, will come out through live witness testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement 6<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In addition to accusing the Jane The Virgin star of trying to destroy her reputation, Lively\u2019s lawsuit alleges that Baldoni \u201cflouted intimacy protocols on set, improvising kisses in scenes without an intimacy coordinator present and trying to add sexual or nude scenes she found unnecessary,\u201d the Washington Post<\/a> reported.<\/p>\n According to Variety<\/a>, Lively contends that while the pair filmed \u201ca slow dance scene for a montage in which no sound was recorded,\u201d Baldoni \u201cleaned forward and slowly dragged his lips from her ear and down her neck as he said, \u2018it smells so good\u2019\u2026 When Ms. Lively later objected to this behaviour, Mr. Baldoni\u2019s response was, \u2018I\u2019m not even attracted to you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n But Baldoni and his legal representatives are prepared to defend against her claims. Earlier this year, they launched a website<\/a> titled The Lawsuit Info<\/a> that contained documents related to his legal battle with Lively.<\/p>\n In one message, shared by PEOPLE<\/a>, Lively discussed rewrites to one scene, allegedly writing: \u201cIf you knew me (in person) longer you\u2019d have a sense of how flirty and yummy the ball busting will play. It\u2019s my love language. Spicy and playfully bold, never with teeth\u2026.\u201d<\/p>\n mdaniell@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Joe Rogan weighs in on Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds’ legal fight with Justin Baldoni: ‘They f***ed up’<\/p>\n <\/a> Justin Baldoni gets access to Taylor Swift and Blake Lively’s texts<\/p>\nThis combination of images shows Blake Lively at the London screening of the film “It ‘Ends With Us” on Aug. 8, 2024, left, and Justin Baldoni at the world premiere of the film in New York on Aug. 6, 2024. Photo by Associated Press \/APArticle content<\/p>\n
![\"Toronto](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.8.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-tsun.svg\"){kind=logo}
<\/p>\n![\"opening](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/19.8.1\/websites\/images\/newsletters\/icon-sun-middaySun.svg\"\/){kind=icon}
<\/p>\n![\"This](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/film-it-ends-with-us_291163425-e1743093518882.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/2003717970_281863121.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"Blake](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/film-blake-lively-justin-baldoni-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n