At this point, trying to keep up with the legal chaos swirling around It Ends With Us is like trying to follow the plot of The Idol—chaotic, complicated, and somehow still compelling. The latest plot twist? Blake Lively just walked away with a serious legal win against Justin Baldoni, and it’s giving courtroom drama meets pop culture soap opera.
On June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties’ eye-watering $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Yes, four hundred million. The claims? Extortion and defamation. The result? Tossed out like last season’s “quiet luxury.”
Oh, and the drama doesn’t stop there. The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s $250 million defamation case against The New York Times. In legal speak, it was a double knockout.
According to People, Judge Liman clarified that the Wayfarer Parties failed to prove that Blake was responsible for any unprotected statements—aka, her accusations were made in a court context and therefore legally privileged. Translation? You can’t sue someone just because you don’t like what they told the court.
As for Ryan Reynolds, his alleged comments (and those of Blake’s longtime publicist Leslie Sloane) also didn’t meet the high bar for defamation. Why? The Wayfarer crew didn’t prove that Ryan, Leslie, or The Times knew the claims were false or acted with “reckless disregard for the truth.” And that, dear readers, is what you need to make a defamation case stick.
Meanwhile, Blake’s legal team is absolutely basking in the glow of victory. In a statement to Page Six, her attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb called the judge’s ruling “a total victory and a complete vindication.” They didn’t stop there—they dragged the $400 million suit as a “sham” and said they’re now seeking attorneys’ fees plus treble and punitive damages for what they’re calling “abusive litigation.” Legal Barbie would be proud.
For context, this all comes after Blake herself dropped two emotional distress claims against Justin and after Baldoni’s team tried (and then quietly untried) to subpoena Taylor Swift. Yes, Taylor. You truly can’t make this stuff up.
And while Justin’s legal team now has until June 23 to amend parts of the case (read: attempt a legal comeback), a trial date is already penciled in for March 2026. That’s a long way off, but with this level of drama, we won’t be surprised if the entire saga becomes a limited series first.
Stay tuned. This courtroom catfight isn’t over yet—and it’s getting harder to tell whether we’re watching justice or just the next viral PR stunt.
