A federal judge in New York formally ended Justin Baldoni’s $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively on October 31, 2025, according to ABC News, marking a definitive close to the actor’s attempt to defend himself against her allegations of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us.”
Judge Lewis Liman had initially dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit in June 2025, but gave the actor’s legal team an opportunity to amend and refile their claims. When Baldoni’s lawyers failed to submit revised allegations by the court’s deadline on June 23, 2025, the judge entered a final judgment ending the litigation entirely.
Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios had alleged that Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist Leslie Sloane engaged in civil extortion, defamation, and invasion of privacy. The countersuit claimed the trio had threatened to damage Baldoni’s reputation and the film’s promotion unless given greater control over the project. In his June ruling, Judge Liman found that “the Wayfarer Parties have not adequately alleged that Lively’s threats were wrongful extortion rather than legally permissible hard bargaining or renegotiation of working conditions,” according to ABC News.
The dismissal of Baldoni’s countersuit came after Lively filed her own lawsuit in December 2024, alleging that Baldoni sexually harassed her during filming and that he and Wayfarer Studios then launched a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Baldoni has denied the allegations.
The New York Times, which had published reporting on Lively’s initial complaint, also saw Baldoni’s separate $250 million defamation lawsuit against the outlet dismissed in June 2025. A Times spokesperson told ABC News at the time, “We are grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting.”
Lively’s own case against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios was expected to proceed toward trial, though the two sides reached a settlement in May 2026 with no money changing hands, according to Reuters and other outlets. Baldoni is able to appeal Judge Liman’s final judgment dismissing his countersuit.
Sources
- ABC News — reported the October 31 final judgment, June dismissal reasoning, and statements from Baldoni’s and Lively’s legal teams
- Reuters — confirmed the May 2026 settlement between Lively and Baldoni
