Celebrity
Justin Baldoni warns that legal battle against Blake Lively isn’t over despite countersuit closure
Justin Baldoni is making it clear that his legal battle against Blake Lively isn’t over.
Despite his recent countersuit closure, his attorney Bryan Freedman tells Page Six that Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios team intentionally opted not to file an amended complaint.
“No deadlines were missed,” Freedman stresses. “Our clients chose not to amend their complaint to preserve appeal rights.”
At this time, it’s unclear whether Baldoni and/or Wayfarer Studios actually plan to file an appeal.
“In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms. Lively’s claims,” Freedman adds, noting that he and his team “remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available.”
He concludes by emphasizing that they “look forward to [their] day in court.”
Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman — who is overseeing the case — entered a final judgement stating that Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs had declined to file an amended complaint in their $400 million defamation and extortion countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Liman said he had contacted all parties in mid-October to warn them that he would be entering a final judgment to conclude the case, noting that Lively was the only one to respond.
The actress, 38, asked that her request for legal fees remain active, which Liman granted.
Baldoni’s January countersuit — as well as his $250 million libel lawsuit against the New York Times — were initially tossed out in June.
At the time, Liman ruled that Baldoni, 41, and his co-plaintiffs “have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her [California Civil Rights Department] complaint, which are privileged.”
Lively first accused her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director of sexual harassment and retaliation in December 2024, going on to formally sue him later that month.
The New York Times was first to report on her claims.
Liman explained that Baldoni’s countersuit “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.”
Baldoni has continued to deny Lively’s allegations against him, and her case will be tried in March 2026.
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