Baldoni's $400M Suit Against Lively Dismissed

U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman entered final judgment dismissing Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios' $400 million extortion and defamation suit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, along with Baldoni’s related libel claims against The New York Times. The dismissal follows a June ruling that many of the statements Baldoni cited were protected by litigation and reporting privileges and that Lively’s allegations were presented in a civil rights complaint. The court found the Times’ reporting tracked that complaint and that statements tied to it could not reasonably be deemed defamatory. Court filings show Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs let a deadline to file an amended complaint or pursue an appeal lapse and did not appeal before the final judgment was entered. Lively’s separate sexual-harassment and retaliation lawsuit against Baldoni remains pending, and she is seeking to recover attorneys’ fees.