Justin Baldoni has faced a major setback in his $400 million lawsuit against his sexual harassment accuser, Blake Lively, and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
The It Ends With Us costars, who have been battling over the sexual harassment charges since December last year, the high-profile case took an unexpected turn months after its filing.
As reported by People, Los Angeles court judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s counter lawsuit, which he filed in response to Lively’s initial case.
On Monday, June 9th, a judge ruled the permission to drop the $400 million defamation case submitted by Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties against Lively and Reynolds, which alleged extortion and defamation, as well as the $250 million defamation lawsuit against the magazine The New York Times.
Judge Liman issued a statement that read, "The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged."
In addition, the judge noted that despite the verdict of dismissing the case, Baldoni and his legal representatives can still amend the claims before, June 23.
As of now, the Jane the Virgin’s legal team has not responded to the recent verdict made by the Los Angeles court.
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal case timeline:
For those unaware, Blake Lively filed a bombshell sexual harassment case against her It Ends With Us costar-director in December last year, alleging he physically threatened her during the filming of their movie.
However, Justin Baldoni firmly denied the accusations and submitted the defamation case against the mother-of-four and her husband Ryan Reynolds, at the time.
He also included The New York Times for publishing her article without his consent.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively's upcoming case trial:
Lively and Baldoni’s official case trial, during which both are expected to testify, is set to schedule for March 2026.
