How Justin Baldoni feels after $400M countersuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds dismissed

Justin Baldoni’s legal team has broken its silence after his countersuit against co-star Blake Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds was dismissed.

Justin Baldoni’s team remains confident despite a judge dismissing the actor’s US$400 million (A$613m) countersuit against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

“Ms. Lively and her team’s predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling,” the actor’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, told Page Six in a statement.

“While the Court dismissed the defamation related claims, the Court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations,” he continued.

“This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively’s own team conveniently describes as ‘untraceable’ because they cannot prove what never happened.”

US actor Justin Baldoni's lead counsel, Bryan Freedman, is seen at US District Court after a pre-trial hearing in a $400 million defamation suit by Baldoni against Hollywood power couple Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. It has since been dismissed. Picture: AFP)

Freedman also claimed that Lively’s allegations are “no truer today than they were yesterday.”

“And with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking,” he said.

“We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity.”

A Baldoni insider echoed Freedman’s optimism, telling the Daily Mail, “Even though it is a stumble, Justin still has full trust with his legal team.

“He is looking to figure out how to move forward from this current setback,” the source continued.

While he feels confident that his lawyers will pull through, Baldoni, 41, sees things as “a tale of two worlds right now.”

“Justin feels this is a huge kick to the guts,” the source admitted.

Blake Lively beams as she attends the 18th annual Tribeca Artists Dinner in New York amid her legal victory. Picture: AP

BLAKE LIVELY BREAKS SILENCE

Blake Lively has broken her silence after she and husband Ryan Reynolds were cleared in the A$613 million defamation and extortion lawsuit filed by her It Ends with Us collaborator Justin Baldoni.

The actress released a powerful statement on Instagram, hours after a judge dismissed Baldoni’s case.

“Last week, I stood proudly alongside 19 organisations united in defending women’s rights to speak up for their safety,” Lively said.

“Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us.”

The mother-of-four said she was “more resolved than ever to continue to stand for every woman’s right to have a voice in protecting themselves, including their safety, their integrity, their dignity and their story.”

The star told fans of the pain of her “retaliatory lawsuit”. Picture: AP

“With love and gratitude for the many who stood by me, many of you I know,” Lively said. “Many of you I don’t. But I will never stop appreciating or advocating for you.”

JUDGE DISMISSES BALDONI’S LAWSUIT

It came as Judge Lewis J. Liman granted the motion to dismiss Baldoni’s January countersuit – as well as his A$383 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times – according to documents obtained by Page Six.

Liman wrote that Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios production company “have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her (California Civil Rights Department) complaint, which are privileged.”

Justin Baldoni’s cases against Blake Lively and the New York Times have been tossed by a judge. Picture: AP Photo

Lively, notably, made headlines for her complaint, in which she accused her It Ends With Us co-star of sexual harassment, in December 2024.

The judge explained that Baldoni’s lawsuit “alleged that Reynolds and (publicist Leslie) Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign.”

However, Liman continued, “The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Reynolds, Sloane or the Times would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them, as is required for them to be liable for defamation under applicable law.”

Blake Lively’s legal team are celebrating the win. Picture: AFP

Baldoni’s legal team has until June 23 to amend their claims for breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract.

Reps for Reynolds and Baldoni did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.

Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson & Mike Gottlieb, celebrated the decision as a “total victory and a complete vindication” for the actor in a statement to Page Six.

The attorneys wrote, “As we have said from day one, this ‘USD$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.

Justin Baldoni’s lawyers have until June 23 to amend their claims. Picture: Getty Images

They are “look(ing) forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages” over the “abusive litigation.”

Lively and Baldoni sparked feud rumours when their project, which was adapted from Colleen Hoover’s book of the same name, premiered in August 2024.

Shortly after filing her complaint, Lively officially sued the Jane the Virgin star for alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages.

The legal battle took a turn in Lively’s favour last week when journalist James Vituscka came forward and walked back his claims (which were included in Baldoni’s lawsuit) that Sloane said Lively was “sexually harassed” by Baldoni.

According to People, Vituscka, on Thursday, filed a signed declaration and insisted that Sloane “never told me that Ms. Lively was sexually harassed or sexually assaulted by Justin Baldoni or anyone else.”

“In those text messages, my use of the phrase ‘sexually assaulted’ was a mistake. … I regret this error,” Vituscka reportedly added. “This phrase was not in reference to any conversation that I had with Leslie Sloane.”

Lively also attempted to withdraw her intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress claims against Baldoni last week after his legal team sought to obtain her medical records.

The A Simple Favour star’s lawyers described the legal move as “a routine part of the litigation process” and claimed that Baldoni’s team was using the decision “as a press stunt.”

Lively and Baldoni’s trial is set for March 2026.

This story originally appeared in The New York Post.

Originally published as How Justin Baldoni feels after $400M countersuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds dismissed