Justin Baldoni’s bombshell $400M case against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

Actor and director Justin Baldoni has officially missed his final opportunity to appeal a ruling that dismissed his $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times.

According to new court documents obtained by the Daily Mail, a final judgment has now been entered in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, effectively bringing Baldoni’s case to an end.

The 41-year-old actor had been granted time to appeal after Judge Lewis Liman threw out his claims in June, but that window expired without any action from Baldoni’s legal team. On October 17, Judge Liman contacted all parties, warning that he would soon finalize the judgment. According to People, Blake Lively was the only party to respond – requesting that the court finalize the dismissal while leaving her petition for attorney’s fees open. The court granted her request.

While the dismissal has been finalized, Baldoni still retains a limited right to appeal once the court rules on Lively’s request for legal fees.

Justin Baldoni’s courtroom crusade against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and the New York Times has come crashing down – after the actor missed his chance to appeal a ruling that threw out his multimillion-dollar defamation claims

New court papers obtained by the Daily Mail reveal a final judgment has been entered, officially ending Baldoni’s lawsuits against parties including Lively

A Legal War That Captured Hollywood’s Attention

Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit accused The New York Times of defaming him through its coverage of Lively’s se.xual ha.rassment allegations, which arose during the production of the 2024 romantic drama It Ends With Us. He has repeatedly denied all accusations of misconduct.

The legal battle began when Lively filed a December 2024 lawsuit, accusing Baldoni of inappropriate behavior on set – including harassment, body shaming, and retaliation – and claiming he used media influence to damage her reputation after the film’s release.

In response, Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios, filed a defamation countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times, alleging they orchestrated an “extortion and smear campaign.”

However, his case suffered a major blow in June 2025, when the court dismissed it for lack of legal standing. Though Baldoni was given the option to refile with amended claims, he failed to do so before the October deadline.

Allegations of Digital Manipulation and Concealed Evidence

The Daily Mail recently reported new developments in the ongoing litigation, revealing that Lively’s legal team accused Baldoni of using technology and digital tactics to conceal evidence and orchestrate a coordinated smear campaign against his co-star.

According to the filings, Lively’s attorneys allege that Baldoni and his associates – including colleagues from Wayfarer Studios and PR professionals Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel – used encrypted apps such as Signal, voice memos, and auto-deleting messages to hide communications that might have been relevant to the case.

“Defendants have hidden the ball at every turn in the discovery process, either failing to produce documents or improperly shielding them under attorney-client privilege,” Lively’s team wrote in a court filing obtained by The Daily Mail.

The 41-year-old actor and director had been given a window to appeal after a judge dismissed his case back in June, but that deadline quietly expired without any action

The filing also noted that Lively’s lawyers were forced to file more than a dozen discovery motions against Baldoni’s team.

Former employees of PR firm Jonesworks LLC, a third-party defendant in the case, have reportedly corroborated some of these claims in depositions, according to Deadline. These witnesses stated that Baldoni’s team took deliberate measures to obscure communications that could have been unfavorable if publicly exposed.

The Fallout from “It Ends With Us”

The blockbuster film at the heart of the controversy, It Ends With Us, was released in August 2024 and became an unexpected commercial success – grossing $148 million domestically and $350 million worldwide. Despite its box-office achievements, the film’s legacy has been overshadowed by the legal and personal battles between its lead stars.

The movie, based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel, follows Lily Bloom (played by Lively) as she navigates a toxic relationship with Ryle Kincaid (played by Baldoni). Thematically, it explores the lasting effects of trauma and cycles of abuse – themes that have taken on uncomfortable resonance given the real-life disputes surrounding its production.

Lively’s December 2024 lawsuit alleged that Baldoni’s conduct on set included repeated sexual harassment and public humiliation, as well as retaliation through orchestrated PR attacks. She also named Wayfarer Studios, its CEO and financiers, and PR executives Nathan and Abel as co-defendants.

A Case Dismissed – But a Battle Still Ahead

Baldoni’s defamation case initially sought $250 million in damages from The New York Times before being expanded to $400 million in January 2025 to include Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane. However, the court dismissed the entire case in June, and no appeal was filed within the permitted timeframe.

Although Baldoni’s countersuit has been dismissed, he still faces Lively’s sexual harassment and defamation lawsuit, which is scheduled to proceed to trial in March 2026, according to court records.

Lively’s legal team has also filed to recover attorneys’ fees spent defending against Baldoni’s failed claims.

At press time, representatives for Baldoni, Lively, and Reynolds had not issued further comments regarding the latest ruling.

From Box Office Success to Legal Spectacle

It Ends With Us, which also starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar, and Kevin McKidd, was once hailed as a triumph for both stars – a film that successfully adapted a bestselling novel into a modern romantic drama. Yet, the project has since devolved into a cautionary tale about blurred boundaries, workplace ethics, and Hollywood’s ongoing reckoning with accountability.

As the dust settles on Baldoni’s dismissed $400 million lawsuit, his reputation – and his career – remain under intense scrutiny. For now, the only certainty is that the next phase of this legal war, set to unfold in 2026, could be even more explosive than the last.

It earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars