The latest development in the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is that the former has just asked the court to dismiss Baldoni’s lawsuit.
Background on the legal battle
The legal battle that led to this point began on 1 January 2025, according to The Independent, when Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni, It Ends With Us producer Jamey Heath, Wayfarer Studios co-founder Steve Sarowitz, and others.
In the lawsuit, Lively is accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment during the filming of It Ends With Us. She also accused him and the others of orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
In response, Baldoni filed a $400 million R7 293 004 000.00 (ZAR) defamation lawsuit against Lively on 17 January 2025. Now, the newest update is Lively’s latest motion. According to Vulture, who obtained court documents containing details regarding the legal battle
Details of Blake Lively’s motion
According to PEOPLE, Blake Lively and her legal team filed a motion on 20 March 2025 to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit in Manhattan federal court. Reuters stated that the motion was filed in Manhattan federal court.
The actress’s motion called the lawsuit “baseless” and “retaliatory.” It also described the $400 million lawsuit as “vengeful and rambling.”
Since the beginning of the legal battle, Ryan Reynolds has supported Lively. PEOPLE has also provided a statement made by Lively’s attorneys.
Legal responses from Lively
Blake Lively’s attorneys, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, issued a statement criticising Baldoni’s lawsuit.
“This lawsuit is a profound abuse of the legal process that has no place in federal court,” they said, according to the publication. The two attorneys then proceeded to cite the California law on which they are basing the dismissal motion.
“California law now expressly prohibits suing victims who speak out against sexual harassment or retaliation, whether in a lawsuit or in the press.”
The law Blake Lively is citing
The law mentioned in the motion to dismiss Baldoni’s lawsuit is California Civil Code Section 47.1.
This law “prohibits retaliatory lawsuits tied to public disclosures of sexual harassment. The statute explicitly bars lawsuits to punish individuals for speaking out, whether in legal complaints or public statements.”
Lively’s attorneys have also claimed that this lawsuit against their client aims to “bury” and “destroy” her. This is because she decided to speak up about the alleged sexual harassment. People surrounding Lively encouraged others to speak out against sexual harassment as well.
What did Lively’s spokeperson say?
A spokesperson for Blake Lively also stated to encourage victims to speak up.
“While Ms Lively has suffered greatly for speaking up and pursuing legal claims, it is important for others to know that they have legal protections. There is a specific law that shields them from being silenced or financially ruined simply because they dared to tell their truth,” the statement read.
Fans will now be waiting to see the outcome of Lively’s motion.
What would happen if Blake Lively won?
Suppose the court agreed with Lively’s motion and dismissed the lawsuit under Section 47.1. In that case, Baldoni and his co-defendants might be required to pay Lively “triple and punitive damages for reputational and emotional harm.”
Following this, Baldoni and his lawyers have responded to Lively’s motion.
Legal responses from Justin Baldoni
According to PEOPLE, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has issued a statement to the publication on 20 March 2025.
“Ms. Lively’s recent motion to dismiss herself from the self-concocted disaster she initiated is one of the most abhorrent examples of abusing our legal system. Stringent rules are put into place to protect the innocent and allow individuals to rightfully defend themselves. Laws are not meant to be twisted and curated by privileged elites to fit their own personal agenda,” he stated.
“We will continue to hold Ms. Lively accountable for her actions of pure malice which include falsely accusing my clients of harassment and retaliation,” Freedman continued Thursday. “Her fantastical claims will be swiftly debunked as discovery moves forward, easily disproved with actual, evidentiary proof,” he added.
It appears that more developments will continue until the trial starts on 9 March 2026.
What was your response to Blake Lively’s motion? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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