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In the latest development of Hollywood's most anticipated legal exchange, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have informed a federal judge of their intention to dismiss Justin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit. The announcement came Thursday through their attorney Michael J. Gottlieb, who stated simply, "The Lively-Reynolds Parties intend to move to dismiss Plaintiffs' complaint."
The dispute stems from serious allegations surrounding the production of "It Ends With Us," where Lively, 37, accused Baldoni, 41 - her co-star and director - of sexual harassment during filming. She filed a $250 million lawsuit, claiming he orchestrated a smear campaign after she spoke out about her alleged treatment. Baldoni vehemently denied these accusations and countersued for $400 million, alleging defamation by Lively and Reynolds.
The case has taken several complex turns, with Baldoni's team claiming that Lively and Reynolds pressured talent agency WME to drop him as a client - an allegation WME has explicitly denied. Leslie Sloane, Lively's publicist who was named as a defendant in Baldoni's suit, has also filed a similar dismissal notice.
Judge Lewis Liman has moved to consolidate the separate federal cases into one proceeding, with both legal teams indicating their agreement to this approach. The first hearing is scheduled for Monday, February 3, where a key focus will be the alleged extrajudicial conduct of Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman.
A new point of contention has emerged regarding Lively's deposition. Baldoni's attorney Kevin Fritz revealed that Lively may refuse to allow Freedman to conduct her deposition, stating, "We are unaware of any situation that would warrant the deposed party to have a choice in which attorney takes her deposition."
The trial date has been set for March 9, 2026, giving both parties ample time to prepare their cases. Freedman has defended his public statements about the case, arguing they were necessary responses to what he characterized as an "attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team and their respective companies by disseminating grossly edited, unsubstantiated, new and doctored information to the media."
