Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni's legal battle has become one of the biggest stories in Hollywood. In 2024, Lively sued Baldoni for sexual harassment and an alleged "coordinated effort to destroy her reputation." Baldoni then countersued her, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, her publicist, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times for $400 million on claims of extortion and defamation. His lawsuit was thrown out in June, but there was still an option available to revive it. Now, though, the suit has been officially closed.
Per E! News, following the initial ruling of his lawsuit, Baldoni and his legal team were given a deadline by which to file an amended complaint. However, the actor missed the date. Then, on October 17, the court ordered all parties to show why judgement on the lawsuit should not be finalized. Baldoni did not respond to that either, according to an order signed October 31 by Judge Lewis Liman. Thus, the $400 million lawsuit was officially closed. It is worth noting, though, that, as explained by E!: "Baldoni retains the right to appeal the judgment once the court rules on Lively’s request to recoup her legal fees."
At the time Baldoni's lawsuit was thrown out, Lively's lawyers, Mike Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, stated about the ruling: "Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. As we have said from day one, this $400 million lawsuit was a sham, and the court saw right through it."
It is important to note that, while Baldoni's lawsuit is now closed, the legal dispute between him and Lively continues. Lively's lawsuit is scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.
Lively and Baldoni's case got surprisingly linked to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when Baldoni brought the Deadpool & Wolverine character of Nicepool into his lawsuit. In January 2025, as reported by Variety, Baldoni's lawyer sent a litigation hold letter to Disney CEO Bob Iger and Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige, requesting they save documents and information related to Baldoni.
Then, in February, Baldoni amended his lawsuit against Lively, adding claims of bullying by Ryan Reynolds in the form of Nicepool, the aforementioned Deadpool variant featured in Deadpool & Wolverine.
Per the amended suit: "Reynolds portrayed Nicepool as a vicious caricature of a 'woke' feminist before concluding the character's arc with his violent shooting death at the hands of 'Ladypool,' a character voiced by Blake Lively." The suit then alleged that the unmasked Deadpool variant, "Intended to be a transparent and mocking portrayal of Reynolds' warped perception of Baldoni."