Back in June, U.S. District Court\u00a0Judge Lewis J. Liman granted a motion to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Baldoni<\/a> and the director’s production company Wayfarer Studios against Lively,\u00a0Ryan Reynolds<\/a> and\u00a0their publicist<\/a>,\u00a0alleging extortion and defamation, as well as Baldoni’s $250 million defamation lawsuit against\u00a0The New York Times<\/a>.<\/p>\n Baldoni’s legal team had until June 23 to\u00a0amend the claims for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference. After failing to file a further amended complaint, Liman formally ended the countersuit on Oct. 31<\/a>.<\/p>\n Nathan Congleton\/NBC via Getty<\/p>\n Justin Baldoni<\/p>\n In a statement shared with PEOPLE, Freedman explained why Baldoni failed to file a further amended complaint, saying, “The truth regarding this case continuously and completely gets distorted in the media.”<\/p>\n “Even something as simple as a procedural update has resulted in a total mischaracterization,” Freedman continued. “At this point, we have to set the record straight: no deadlines were missed. Our clients chose not to amend their complaint to preserve appeal rights.”<\/p>\n Freedman added, “In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms. Lively\u2019s claims. We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available and look forward to our day in court.”<\/p>\n Liman\u00a0said\u00a0he contacted all parties on Oct. 17 to warn them that he would enter a final judgment to conclude the case.<\/p>\n A document reviewed by PEOPLE showed that Lively was the only one to respond, asking the judge to declare a final judgment and to keep her request for legal fees active, which the judge agreed to.<\/p>\n Mike Marsland\/WireImage<\/p>\n Blake Lively<\/p>\n “Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit<\/a>, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us,” Lively said on her Instagram Stories on Monday, June 9, after the lawsuit was dismissed. “While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back.”<\/p>\n The legal battle between Lively and Baldoni began in December<\/a>\u00a0when Lively sued him for misconduct on the set and a retaliatory smear campaign, claims he has denied.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/p>\n A trial for the ongoing lawsuit has been set for March 2026<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"Nathan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/04c701b04b4cb4769376a25d9ae2dc37.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n![\"Mike](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/39faefdd60a8180602d002eda624199a.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n