Justin Baldoni Reacts After Blake Lively Defamation Lawsuit Thrown Out

Justin Baldoni plans to keep at his legal battle with “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively after a judge dismissed his $400 million defamation lawsuit against her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.

“Ms. Lively and her team’s predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling,” Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman said in a statement to Variety. “While the court dismissed the defamation related claims, the court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations. This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively’s own team conveniently describes as ‘untraceable’ because they cannot prove what never happened.”

Freedman’s statement continued, “Most importantly, Ms. Lively’s own claims are no truer today than they were yesterday, and with the facts on our side, we march forward with the same confidence that we had when Ms. Lively and her cohorts initiated this battle and look forward to her forthcoming deposition, which I will be taking. We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity.”

On Monday, a judge tossed out the entire lawsuit filed by Baldoni that accused Lively and Reynolds of extortion and other claims. Judge Lewis J. Liman, which found that Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment were legally protected and therefore immune from suit, allowed Baldoni to amend and refile a couple of allegations regarding interference with contracts.