Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has addressed why the actor and filmmaker chose not to amend his $400 million defamation countersuit against Blake Lively, which a federal judge formally closed in late October.
In June, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist, which accused them of extortion and defamation.
The judge also threw out a related $250 million defamation case that Baldoni filed against The New York Times.
Baldoni’s team had until June 23 to revise the claims but decided against submitting new filings. Judge Liman finalized the dismissal on Oct. 31, formally closing the case.
In a statement to People, Freedman said reports about the case had misrepresented the situation.
“The truth regarding this case continuously and completely gets distorted in the media,” he said. “Even something as simple as a procedural update has resulted in a total mischaracterization. At this point, we have to set the record straight: no deadlines were missed. Our clients chose not to amend their complaint to preserve appeal rights.”
Freedman added, “In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms. Lively’s claims. We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available and look forward to our day in court.”
Court filings reviewed by People show that on Oct. 17, Judge Liman contacted all parties to say he planned to issue a final judgment.
Lively’s team was the only one to respond, asking for the ruling to be made final and for her motion for legal fees to remain active, which the judge approved.
After the June dismissal, Lively commented on Instagram, writing, “Like so many others, I’ve felt the pain of a retaliatory lawsuit, including the manufactured shame that tries to break us. While the suit against me was defeated, so many don’t have the resources to fight back.”
The legal dispute began in December 2024, when Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and an alleged retaliatory smear campaign related to their film adaptation of “It Ends With Us.”
Baldoni denied the allegations and countersued, claiming defamation, civil extortion, and invasion of privacy.
He alleged that Lively and others harmed his reputation and that she had “stolen” the project from him and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, by threatening to withhold promotion unless her demands were met, BBC reported.
Lively’s lawsuit remains active, with a trial set for March 2026.
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