Getty Image
Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are seeking to have the high-profile lawsuit that Justin Baldoni filed against them thrown out. The couple’s lawyer put forth the request in court on Thursday, January 30.
In a pair of dueling lawsuits, Blake Lively accused It Ends with Us director and co-star Justin Baldoni of harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign, with Baldoni then countersuing for $400 million over allegations of defamation and extortion.
In the wake of the lawsuits, Baldoni — whose lawyers have also accused Ryan Reynolds of using the “Nicepool” character in Deadpool & Wolverine to mock him — was dropped by his agency WME.
Lawyers for both Justin Baldoni and Lively are set to appear in court on Monday for the first hearing of the pre-trial, with the judge indicating he expects the trial, should it go forward, to begin in March 2026.
“The couple’s attorneys filed the notice Thursday in compliance with Judge Lewis Liman’s order, which set out how the federal case will move forward. The judge asked for a letter that would ‘indicate in one sentence the Defendant’s intent to make a motion to dismiss.’”
“‘The Lively-Reynolds Parties intend to move to dismiss Plaintiffs’ complaint,’ said Michael J. Gottlieb, following the judge’s instruction to keep it short and sweet. In a rare moment of agreement, attorneys on both sides have also indicated they have no objection to consolidating the two federal cases into one proceeding.” [via Variety]
The lawsuit between Lively and Baldoni, which has largely been playing out in the media with various leaks and seemingly planted stories, took another turn earlier this week when a recording of an apologetic voice note that Baldoni allegedly sent Lively around 2:30 a.m. was published.
“I am far from perfect. I am a flawed man, as my wife will attest. And I’m going to f— up. I’m going to say the wrong thing,” Baldoni says in the voice note. “I’m going to put my foot in my mouth. I’m going to piss you off, probably, but I will always apologize and find my way back to center. That is one thing I can assure you of. I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”
It Ends with Us, based on the best-selling 2016 romantic novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover, grossed $351 million at the global box office following its release in movie thetaers in August.