Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds to dismiss Justin Baldoni lawsuit
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds intend to file a motion to dismiss Justin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit ahead of prospective trial in March 2026.
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Film » Film News
Fri 31 January 2025 9:52, UK
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have informed a federal judge of their intention to seek a dismissal of Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit.
Lively has accused Baldoni, her director and co-star on It Ends With Us, of sexually harassing her while making the film and then launching a smear campaign when she spoke out about his problematic behaviour.
Baldoni’s legal team countered by claiming Lively defamed him by publishing out-of-context text messages in The New York Times that made him look bad. He has also alleged civil extortion and invasion of privacy, in addition to accusing Lively and Reynolds of using their power to pressure his talent agency, WME, to drop him as a client.
The Hollywood power couple’s attorneys filed their notice of intent on January 30th after Judge Lewis Liman requested they “indicate in one sentence the Defendant’s intent to make a motion to dismiss.”
Attorneys for both sides are due to begin court proceedings on February 3rd, with the judge already revealing that he anticipates a trial will be set for March, 2026. He asked both sides to submit a plan that would enable the trial to proceed within that timeframe, and neither side has objected to both federal cases being consolidated into one proceeding.
On February 3rd, Lively and Reynolds’ team is expected to highlight the conduct of Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, who they believe has made prejudicial comments in the media that may affect how a jury views the case.
Freedman has already countered this by arguing he has every right to defend his client from Lively’s efforts against Baldoni in the press. Interestingly, Lively’s team has indicated that she will refuse to be deposed by Freedman due to his “unspecified statements.”
Kevin Fritz, another member of Baldoni’s legal team, stated, “We are unaware of any situation that would warrant the deposed party to have a choice in which attorney takes her deposition. Parties to litigation simply do not have the right to dictate which of their opponents’ attorneys may or may not take their deposition or perform any other aspect of the opposing party’s case.”
Related Topics
Blake LivelyJustin BaldoniRyan Reynolds