Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Will Urge Judge to Dismiss Justin Baldoni's Defamation Lawsuit Against Them

Mar. 15, 2025

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in New York City on Feb. 28, 2022; Justin Baldoni in New York City on Dec. 13, 2023.Photo:Monica Schipper/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Monica Schipper/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/Getty

The couple’s lawyers filed a notice on Thursday, Jan. 30, in accordance with Judge Lewis J. Liman’s order, which outlined the next steps for their federal case. The judge requested a letter containing a single sentence stating the defendants' intent to file a motion to dismiss.

Lively and Reynolds' co-defendant, publicist Leslie Sloane, filed a similar notice in court on Wednesday, Jan. 28. The moves come days ahead of a pre-trial conferencein the case.

In their letter submitted to Judge Liman Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Michael J. Gottlieb, an attorney for Lively, 37, Reynolds, 48, and Wayfarer Studios LLC, wrote, “The Lively-Reynolds Parties intend to move to dismiss Plaintiffs’ complaint.”

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Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in New York City on July 22, 2024; Justin Baldoni in New York City on Aug. 6, 2024.Taylor Hill/WireImage; John Nacion/Variety via Getty

Taylor Hill/WireImage; John Nacion/Variety via Getty

In turn,Baldoni countersued Lively, her husband Reynolds and their publicist Sloane, as well as Sloane’s PR firm Vision PR, Inc., on accusations of defamation and extortion.

Both cases inLively v. Wayfarer Studios et al.are now scheduled fortrial on March 9, 2026, Judge Liman outlined in an order filed Monday, Jan. 27.

Additionally, a previously set pre-trial conference — to hash outLively’s prospective request for a gag order— was set for Feb. 12, but will now happen Monday, Feb. 3.

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Blake Lively in New York City on Dec. 11, 2024; Justin Baldoni in Los Angeles on Dec. 4, 2024.Katie Jones/Beauty Inc via Getty; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty

Katie Jones/Beauty Inc via Getty; Araya Doheny/Variety via Getty

Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman has called the claims made in Lively’s complaint “false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”

About Baldoni’s subsequent $400 million lawsuit, the actress’s attorneyscalled it “meritless” and “desperate.“They added, in part, “The strategy of attacking the woman is desperate, it does not refute the evidence in Ms. Lively’s complaint, and it will fail.”

Freedman, however, said his client’s lawsuit is based on “an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence” and suggested “this is a battle [Lively] will not win and will certainly regret.” They allege in Baldoni’s complaint that Lively and Reynolds went on a mission to “destroy” Baldoni’s reputation and career after “hijacking” the film.

Baldoni has alsosuedThe New York Timesfor $250 millionover its coverage of Lively’s complaint.

source: people.com