U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman's ruling on June 9, 2025, completely dismissed Baldoni's multi-million dollar legal actions against multiple parties. The $400 million countersuit targeted not only Lively and Reynolds but also their publicist Leslie Sloane and her company, alleging extortion and defamation after Lively accused him of sexual harassment during the production of their film.123

The separate $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times claimed the newspaper acted as a "conduit" for Lively's allegations and participated in a smear campaign against Baldoni after publishing an article on December 21, 2024, that brought the Hollywood feud into public view.45 Both lawsuits were dismissed in their entirety, with Judge Liman finding that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, failed to sufficiently prove their claims across all allegations.

In his comprehensive 132-page ruling, Judge Liman explained that Baldoni's claims failed on multiple legal grounds. The court found that statements made in Lively's California Rights Department complaint were legally privileged communications and therefore protected from defamation claims.1 Regarding allegations against Reynolds, Sloane, and The Times, the judge determined that Baldoni's team had not sufficiently alleged that any of these parties "would have seriously doubted these statements were true based on the information available to them," which is a necessary element for defamation liability under applicable law.1

The ruling specifically addressed The New York Times' coverage, noting that "the Times reviewed the available evidence and reported, perhaps in a dramatized manner, what it believed to have happened" and that the newspaper "had no obvious motive to favor Lively's version of events."2 Additionally, the court rejected Baldoni's extortion claims, stating that regardless of the propriety of the defendants' actions, they did not constitute civil extortion under California law.34 The judge concluded that all of Baldoni's additional claims similarly failed, necessitating the dismissal of the amended complaint "in its entirety."1

While dismissing the lawsuits entirely, Judge Liman did provide Baldoni a narrow path forward by granting permission to potentially refile specific allegations by June 23. This limited amendment opportunity applies only to claims related to breach of implied covenant and tortious interference with contract12. The judge's allowance specifically concerns allegations that Reynolds approached a WME executive during the "Deadpool and Wolverine" premiere, allegedly calling Baldoni a "sexual predator," which Baldoni claims led to the talent agency dropping him as a client3.

While Baldoni's countersuit has been dismissed, Lively's original lawsuit against him remains active and is scheduled for trial in March 202612. Lively has recently streamlined her case by dropping two claims - intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress - which her legal team described as a routine litigation strategy3. The dismissal of Baldoni's claims represents a major setback in what has become one of Hollywood's most publicized legal battles, stemming from allegations during the production of "It Ends With Us."