Justin Baldoni Still Has a Chance, Despite His Lawsuit Against Blake Lively Being Dismissed
Blake's legal team called the dismissal "complete vindication."
Published June 9 2025, 7:21 p.m. ET
The ongoing legal troubles between It Ends With Us co-stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have entered a new era of court decisions and complexity.
It all started with Blake filing a lawsuit against Justin in 2024, alleging sexual harassment perpetrated by Justin on the set of the movie, as well as "astroturfing," which is where a public figure runs a public perception campaign meant to steer public opinion.
Things ramped up when Justin filed a countersuit, demanding $400 million due to what he alleged was Blake's "civil extortion and defamation."
However, a judge dismissed Justin's suit. But why? Here's what we know about the double-whammy losses that both Justin and Blake have been handed as they continue to face down in court.
Here's what we know about why the Justin Baldoni suit was dismissed.
On June 9, 2025, CBS reports that a judge dismissed Justin's lawsuit against Blake and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds. In the lawsuit filed against both Blake and Ryan and Blake's publicist Leslie Sloane, Justin accused them of civil extortion and defamation.
The news network writes that Justin also tried suing The New York Times for libel and false light invasion of privacy after they were the first outlet to report Blake's initial lawsuit against Justin. However, that lawsuit was also dismissed.
According to The Los Angeles Times, the judge said the suit failed to meet legal standards to proceed, although Justin will have until June 23, 2025, to refile some of his claims.
The LA Times reports that Blake's legal team is calling the dismissal "total victory" and "complete vindication", pointing to it as a sign of victory to come in the legal battles.
Blake's lawsuit took a hit, too.
But with this development, it's worth noting that not everything is coming up roses for Blake's team. At the end of May, Judge Lewis Liman decided that some of Blake's claims could not advance, and she was forced to drop part of her lawsuit.
As part of her lawsuit against Justin, his team was demanding that Blake turn some of her medical records over for discovery. Rather than submit to this condition, Blake dropped the part of her lawsuit that would have permitted the request.
The hope, from Justin's team, was that they could prove whether or not she was suffering from the emotional distress she claimed in her suit.
While the two continue for jockey for position in the court and hope to have their moment before a judge, the internet seems to have decided that they side with one or the other.
Some are calling Blake the "new Amber Heard," while others are pointing out that she has been the victim of "astroturfing" which may make her seem "worse than she really is." In the public perception, Blake is often seen as "rude" and "insufferable." Whereas Justin has a more favorable reputation. Blake defenders claim that this is by design.
On the other hand, those supporting Justin have a bit of an uphill battle. Sexual harassment is a serious claim, if Blake can prove he engaged in it. So while people seem inclined to believe Justin because Blake has such an unfavorable reputation in the public eye, many people are waiting to see how things play out in court.
Either way, both actors have their defenders and critics, and the legal drama continues to play out in a way that seems like there are no winners.