Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios sought at least $400 million from Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and others in a lawsuit filed in January 2025. A federal judge dismissed the case in June 2025, and the dismissal became final after the plaintiffs missed the deadline to refile. The figure was an amount sought—not a judgment or money paid to Baldoni. Separate claims by Lively later settled, and an August 2026 report said Baldoni was ordered to contribute $400,000 toward her legal expenses.
Why did Baldoni sue Lively and Reynolds?
Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed the suit in federal court in New York on January 16, 2025. The Associated Press reported that they sought at least $400 million and accused Lively, Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane and other defendants of defamation and extortion. The complaint alleged that Lively and Reynolds interfered with the production and marketing of It Ends With Us and helped spread false allegations about the plaintiffs.
Those descriptions are allegations made by Baldoni and Wayfarer, not findings that a court established as fact. The film is based on Colleen Hoover’s 2016 novel, as AP noted in its account of the case.
What happened to the $400 million case?
On June 9, 2025, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni and Wayfarer’s lawsuit. Reuters reported that the judge found Lively’s statements to California’s Civil Rights Department were privileged. Reuters also quoted the decision’s assessment of the plaintiffs’ conspiracy allegations: “The Wayfarer Parties’ conclusory allegations that the Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane engaged in a conspiracy to defame the Wayfarer Parties by disseminating knowingly false statements cannot substitute for factual allegations supporting a plausible inference that this occurred.”
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The dismissal was not immediately the end of the procedural matter: the plaintiffs had a deadline to amend or revive the case. The Los Angeles Times reported in November 2025 that Baldoni and Wayfarer did not meet the October 17 deadline, after which the judge made the dismissal final. Reuters also reported that the judge dismissed a separate $250 million lawsuit by Baldoni and Wayfarer against The New York Times on June 9, 2025.
How the dispute developed
| Date | Development |
|---|---|
| December 2024 | Lively filed a complaint with California’s Civil Rights Department and then sued Baldoni and others, according to Reuters’ account. |
| January 16, 2025 | Baldoni and Wayfarer filed their suit seeking at least $400 million, according to AP. The complaint named Lively, Reynolds, Sloane and other defendants. |
| June 9, 2025 | Judge Liman dismissed the $400 million case and the separate $250 million case against The New York Times, Reuters reported. |
| October 2025 | The Los Angeles Times reported that the plaintiffs missed an October 17 deadline to amend or revive the case and that the dismissal was then made final. |
| May 2026 | Lively and Baldoni announced a settlement that avoided a trial on her remaining retaliation claim. AP reported in June that the financial terms had not been made public. |
| August 26, 2026 | El País, citing EFE and a court document, reported that Judge Liman ordered Baldoni to pay $400,000 toward Lively’s legal expenses, including about $363,000 in attorney fees. |
Did Lively and Baldoni settle?
Yes. In May 2026 they announced a settlement that avoided a trial on Lively’s remaining retaliation claim, according to AP’s June report. AP said the settlement’s financial terms were not publicly announced in its account. The reported fee order is a separate later development: El País’s August 2026 report said Lively had requested about $8 million in expenses before the judge ordered the $400,000 contribution.
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What the $400,000 order means
The reported $400,000 contribution toward Lively’s legal expenses is distinct from the dismissed $400 million lawsuit: it is not a recovery on that claim, nor evidence that the original allegations were proven. The August 26 figure and fee breakdown are reported by El País based on EFE and a court document; the report is the source for those details here.
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