Following It Ends With Us becoming a box office success last fall, the romantic drama has become the centerpiece for a huge legal battle between star and producer Blake Lively and the film’s director and other lead, Justin Baldoni. The allegations have since spiraled into both Lively and Baldoni issuing lawsuits against the other, but apparently the Gossip Girl actress and her legal team have found a way they hope will dismiss the case.
Blake Lively Has Filed A New Motion To Dismiss Justin Baldoni’s Suit
In documents filed in the Southern District of New York Thursday, Lively asked a judge to dismiss Baldoni’s amended complaint against her, citing California Civil Code section 47.1, per The Hollywood Reporter. The law, which went to effect in 2023, is designed to protect those with sexual assault, harassment or discrimination allegations from being sued unless the person making claims is acting with malice.
While Baldoni took his lawsuit to the New York federal court, Lively and her team are claiming it is “profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court” and should have been done under California law because Wayfarer Studios is based in the state. Should the dismissal go through, Baldoni would also be required to pay Lively’s legal fees as well, along with treble and punitive damages for any harm they caused to their accusers.
Additionally, Lively is also claiming that Baldoni’s lawsuit was made past the one-year window to sue for libel since she outlined a 17-point list of demands, now being named as her allegedly defamatory statements, back in November 2023 during filming for her to return to filming of the production.
Regarding Lively’s new request, Baldoni could fire back that Lively issued the claims with malice, but he’d have to show that her accusations were made “with knowledge they were false or reckless indifference to their truth.”
What Else Has Gone On With Lively And Baldoni So Far?
Following Lively issuing a complaint in December over Baldoni and key stakeholders in the film sexually harassing her and orchestrating a smear campaign against her before turning the claims into a lawsuit, Baldoni fired back with a civil lawsuit against both Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds in January.
At the end of January, a judge consolidated the pair’s lawsuits into one case and the lawyers of each team met in court on Feb 3, 2025 for a 90-minute hearing. Since then, a PR firm has created its own lawsuit against Lively, but the actress did earn a win when a judge agreed to limit access to some evidence.
Earlier this month, Lively attended the SXSW premiere for Another Simple Favor, though Reynolds skipped out on it and there was an awkward moment when Anna Kendrick was asked about the Baldoni situation.
When Lively and her team made their most recent move, a spokesperson shared that while the actress has “suffered greatly by speaking up,” it’s important “for other people to know they have protections.” And in the case of the California law there are protections in place “from being silenced or financially ruined by a defamation lawsuit.”