Justin Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs amended their lawsuit on January 31, 2025, adding The New York Times to a case seeking $400 million from Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and others. That amount was a damages demand, not a court award. A federal judge dismissed the suit in June 2025, and judgment ended the case after the plaintiffs declined another opportunity to amend.
What Baldoni amended in January 2025
The First Amended Complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on January 31, 2025. The plaintiffs were Wayfarer Studios LLC, Justin Baldoni, Jamey Heath, Steve Sarowitz, It Ends With Us Movie LLC, Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel. They named Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, Vision PR, Inc. and The New York Times Company as defendants. The complaint sought $400 million.
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The filing amended an earlier action that had been described as a $250 million libel suit against The New York Times. The amended version expanded the defendants and the amount sought. Its claims were allegations by the plaintiffs, not findings by a court. Read the First Amended Complaint.
How the $400 million case ended
On June 9, 2025, a federal judge dismissed the lawsuit. The dismissal ruling and the plaintiffs’ complaint serve different purposes: the complaint states what the plaintiffs alleged, while the court’s opinion explains the decision. The Associated Press reported that the judge found The New York Times had accurately reported details of Lively’s complaint. AP’s report on the dismissal and the court record document the ruling.
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The plaintiffs could have filed another amended complaint but did not. Judgment was later entered, ending this case. “Amends” in the headline refers to the January 2025 filing; it does not mean the $400 million suit remains pending. The dismissal should not be described as a finding that every factual allegation in the complaint was false.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the later settlement and fee award fit in
The dismissal of the $400 million suit was separate from the wider dispute between Lively and Baldoni. They settled the remaining parts of that dispute in May 2026, before a scheduled trial. New York Law Journal’s settlement report covers that later development.
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On August 26, 2026, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman awarded Lively just over $400,000 toward legal fees. She had requested approximately $8 million. The award was partial: AP reported that the court limited recoverable fees under California law to those for defending against defamation claims. It was not a damages award in Baldoni’s lawsuit. AP’s report on the fee decision explains the award.
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What the three headline figures mean
| Figure | What it refers to |
|---|---|
| $400 million | Damages sought by Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs in their January 2025 amended lawsuit; not money awarded by a court. |
| Approximately $8 million | Legal fees Lively requested in 2026. |
| Just over $400,000 | Legal fees awarded to Lively by Judge Liman on August 26, 2026; less than the amount she requested. |
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