A new chapter has unfolded in Justin Baldoni's legal battle against Blake Lively, as a final judgment has been entered in the $400 million defamation and extortion case he filed against his former costar, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times. Court documents obtained by E! News reveal that after Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni's case in June, the 41-year-old and his Wayfarer Studios failed to file an amended complaint before the deadline set by the court. Moreover, on October 17th, the court issued an order to all parties to explain why a final judgment should not be entered, which Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs ignored, according to the October 31st order.
Despite this setback, Baldoni retains the right to appeal the judgment once the court rules on Lively's request for reimbursement of her legal fees. And Baldoni's ongoing legal war with Lively is far from over. The Gossip Girl alum's own lawsuit against her former colleague, in which she accused him of sexually harassing her on the set of the 2024 romantic drama and hiring a crisis PR expert to tarnish her reputation (both of which he has denied), is set to go to trial in March 2026.
Furthermore, in October, The Times filed its own lawsuit against Baldoni, seeking compensatory and punitive damages for costs related to his countersuit, which involved an article published by the outlet detailing his fallout with Lively. However, the Jane the Virgin alum intends to fight the case with determination. "Win, lose or draw, we refuse to cave to power brokers even in the face of seemingly impossible odds," his lawyer Bryan Freedman said in a statement to People at the time. "We continue to stand tall for a reason: the pursuit of truth, in the face of giants."
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that the deadline for Justin Baldoni to appeal the dismissal of his case had expired. Baldoni may appeal the dismissal after the court decides Blake Lively's pending motion for legal fees.
