A federal judge has formally closed Justin Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively.
The move is the end of Baldoni’s legal offensive against Lively after nearly a year in court, although Lively’s lawsuit against him in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is still scheduled to go to trial next year.
The two stars have been embroiled in a tense legal standoff stemming from their time working together on the set of “It Ends With Us,” the 2024 film adapted from a Colleen Hoover novel. Each has accused the other of orchestrating a smear campaign.
Their court saga began in December when Lively sued Baldoni, who was her co-star and the film’s director, accusing him of sexual harassment and retaliation after she raised issues about his on-set behavior. She accused Baldoni of conducting a coordinated campaign to attack her reputation.
Earlier in December, Baldoni filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times, in Los Angeles County Superior Court, over its explosive story detailing her alleged treatment on set. In January, he also filed a defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, additionally naming the publicist Leslie Sloane and her firm Vision PR as defendants, in the Southern District of New York.
In June, both of Baldoni’s lawsuits were dismissed by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman.
Baldoni did not file an amended complaint by the court’s deadline, according to the final judgment entered by Liman on Friday.
Attorneys for Baldoni declined to comment. Attorneys for Lively did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Throughout the legal battle, Baldoni’s lawyers have denied Lively’s accusations, including those from her amended complaint alleging that Baldoni also made other women on set uncomfortable.
Fans first speculated about a simmering feud last year when they noticed that Baldoni and Lively never appeared to interact on the red carpet or on media tours while promoting the film. The lawsuits then stirred a rush of renewed interest on social media and made major waves in Hollywood as many took sides.
Liman’s final judgment in Baldoni’s lawsuit stated that on Oct. 17, the court had ordered the parties to show cause as to “why final judgment should not be entered in this case and why The Times’ motion should not be dismissed as moot given that the Court has already granted Defendants’ motions to dismiss.”
Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, did not oppose the Times’ request to enter final judgment. All parties, however, should have 30 days to appeal the judgment once the court rules on Lively’s pending motion to recoup her legal fees, according to the judgment.
Lively’s original lawsuit against Baldoni is scheduled for trial in March. The Times is also seeking compensatory and punitive damages from Wayfarer, citing New York’s anti-SLAPP law.
