Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's defamation claim against former co-star Blake Lively

A judge in the US has dismissed actor Justin Baldoni's $400m (£295m) defamation lawsuit against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively.

Baldoni filed the countersuit against the 37-year-old in response to her launching legal action in December, accusing him of sexual harassment against her while filming the 2024 movie.

The 41-year-old and production company Wayfarer Studios countersued in January for $400m, accusing Lively and her husband, "Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds, their publicist, the New York Times, and others of orchestrating a smear campaign to extort him.

He accused Lively of trying to "hijack" the movie and then blaming him when her "disastrous" promotional approach prompted an online backlash against her.

"It Ends With Us" garnered mixed reviews, but grossed more than $351m (£259m) worldwide, according to reports.

In a statement, lawyers representing Lively said: "Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times.

"As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the court saw right through it.

"We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys' fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation."

Sky News has approached Baldoni's representatives for comment.

US District Court Judge Lewis Liman has ruled that Baldoni can't sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims.

The judge also dismissed Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which had reported on Lively's sexual harassment allegations.

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Mr Liman also ruled that Baldoni's claims that Lively stole creative control of the film didn't count as extortion under California law.

Baldoni's legal team can revise the lawsuit if they want to pursue different claims related to whether Lively breached a contract, the judge said.

"It Ends With Us," an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August last, exceeding box office expectations with a $50m (£37m) debut.

But the movie's release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni.

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