The Billionaire’s Betrayal: A Tale of Hollywood Greed
A $400 Million Counter-Strike: Justice is Served in Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds Case
In a shocking
Baldoni, known for directing the hit film “It Ends With Us,” had filed the lawsuit in December 2024, alleging extortion and defamation against Lively and Reynolds. He also claimed that their publicist, Leslie Sloane, had defamed him by accusing him of sexual misconduct. However, on June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted the motion to dismiss all claims, citing that Baldoni’s legal team had failed to prove that Lively and Reynolds made false statements about him.
The judge noted that while Baldoni alleged that Lively was responsible for making statements accusing him of sexual misconduct, he had not provided any evidence to support this claim. Furthermore, the court ruled that the Wayfarer Parties – a group including Baldoni and his production company – had failed to prove that Reynolds, Sloane, or The New York Times would have seriously doubted their allegations if they were true.
This decision is a significant blow to Baldoni’s legal team, who had accused Lively’s lawyers of abusing the legal system. In response to the judge’s ruling, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, Blake Lively’s lawyers, called it “a total victory and a complete vindication” for their client and the others dragged into the lawsuit.
So what led to this dramatic turn of events? The story began in December 2024 when Lively filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment and retaliation against Baldoni. However, as the case progressed, Baldoni’s lawyers attempted to pivot and claim that Lively was “vengeful” for his subsequent countersuit.
As we now know, the judge saw right through this tactic, dismissing all claims and leaving Baldoni’s team with little to no evidence to support their claims. The decision raises important questions about the limits of defamation law and the power of celebrities to shape public opinion.
One thing is certain – Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are breathing a sigh of relief as they look forward to their trial in March 2026. But for Baldoni, this defeat may be just the beginning of a long and arduous legal battle.
