The court of public opinion just may be on Justin Baldoni’s side in his legal battle against Blake Lively, but a judge recently slammed him with some bad news. Justin attempted to hit Blake and Ryan Reynolds with a $400 million countersuit, but Judge Lewis J. Liman just officially dismissed it, according to People. This is undoubtedly a major setback for Justin, but it doesn’t mean things are anywhere close to over in his wild public feud with Blake. Here’s what you should know.
Baldoni’s Legal Setback – The Details
Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Justin’s $400 million countersuit, stating, “The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is responsible for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged.”
The judge continued, “The Wayfarer Parties have alleged that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times made additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Parties of engaging in a smear campaign.”
For context, Justin is fighting this battle with his legal team and the “Wayfarer Foundation” which refers to Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios. They’re the plaintiffs in the lawsuit filed against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and others, alleging defamation and other misconduct.
Things have gotten so hectic for the foundation that the philanthropic organization announced it was shutting down on May 9. Sure, these setbacks for Justin are intense, but Blake’s setbacks Blake are arguably a lot worse.
Blake’s reputation has spun in such a negative direction that people are comparing her to Amber Heard. To make matters worse, her friendship with Taylor Swift has been hanging in the balance with rumors that she tried to blackmail Taylor into releasing a statement of support on her behalf.
Lively was noticeably absent from the 2025 Super Bowl, where fans expected to see her by Taylor’s side. To this day, Taylor still hasn’t released a public statement supporting Blake, even though she’s the ultimate girl’s girl… Hmmmm.
Rumors about Blake and Ryan having marital issues are also circulating, although there are no confirmed reports that they’re actually parting ways.
The Court of Public Opinion is Loud AF
Justin’s recent legal setback is a doozy, but things aren’t crumbling in all areas of life. His professional career is still moving in the right direction based on some of the new projects he’s producing and starring in. It Ends With Us hit theaters in August 2024, but that certainly wasn’t the end of Justin‘s time in the Hollywood limelight.
2024 was a massive year because he produced and starred in Empire Waist, Will & Harper, A Nice Indian Boy, The Garfield Movie, and Code 3. He served as an executive producer on the 2025 film Eleanor the Great. With 4.2 million followers on Instagram remaining loyal to the actor, Baldoni just might come out on the other side of this scandal unscathed.
Can the same be said about Blake, though? As of right now, the blonde beauty is under a microscope, being judged and scrutinized for every little move she makes. She was recently blasted by a TikToker who claims Blake was super rude during a shopping outing.
via TikTok@Imlandonanne
In the now-deleted video that’s been covered via Page Six, the TikToker said, “It was honestly a horrible experience. I don’t know how she has any fans anymore. First of all, we walked in and we’re just like, looking around … I didn’t even notice [Lively] at first. I’m just looking, shopping for my sister, and the way [Blake’s] talking to the workers at the store was so rude…”
At this point, people are practically inventing fresh reasons to troll Blake. If she hadn’t waged World War III against Justin, it’s doubtful any of this would be happening right now.
The major reason people are so frustrated? Blake originally launched this whole thing as an alleged sexual harassment scandal. But as evidence piled up against her, it seems like she was attempting to edge Justin out of the picture so she could have more creative control behind the scenes of It Ends With Us.
The court case is unending, so we don’t have a complete narrative of the story just yet. Stay tuned!
