Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios sought $400 million from Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds and others in a 2025 lawsuit. They were not awarded that money: a federal judge dismissed the amended complaint in June 2025, and the case ended after the plaintiffs did not file an amended complaint by the deadline. The later $407,451 figure was an award to Lively for attorneys’ fees and costs connected to the dismissed defamation claim—not damages in either case.
What the $400 million lawsuit was—and what it was not
In January 2025, actor and director Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, filed a lawsuit naming Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and others. They sought $400 million and included defamation and related claims, according to Associated Press reporting. The amount was a demand, not a court award.
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Baldoni also brought a separate lawsuit against The New York Times, seeking $250 million, AP reported. That demand was not part of the $400 million case against Lively and Reynolds.
How the case ended
The June 2025 dismissal
On June 9, 2025, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed the amended complaint. The ruling addressed, among other issues, the fair-report privilege as it applied to Lively’s California Civil Rights Department complaint and whether the pleading adequately connected Lively to statements by Reynolds or publicist Leslie Sloane. The reproduced court opinion states that “the fair report privilege extends to advance communication to [the media] of a complaint so long as the party intends in good faith to file it in a public official proceeding.” That is a legal principle applied to the pleaded claims, not a finding that every disputed statement or allegation was true.
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The final judgment
The June ruling allowed a limited opportunity to amend certain claims. Baldoni and Wayfarer did not file an amended complaint by the deadline, and a final judgment followed in October 2025, ending the action. The Los Angeles Times reported on the case’s end.
How this differs from Lively’s separate action
The $400 million lawsuit was a countersuit separate from Lively’s own action concerning alleged conduct during production of the 2024 film It Ends With Us and alleged retaliation. Lively made a California Civil Rights Department complaint in December 2024; the court opinion discusses that complaint in the context of the defamation claims. The parties’ underlying accounts remain allegations unless established through the legal process.
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Lively and Baldoni settled her separate action in May 2026, shortly before its scheduled trial. AP reported that the settlement’s financial terms were not announced. The settlement was not a resolution awarding Baldoni the $400 million he had sought in the dismissed countersuit. AP’s report on the settlement and later fee ruling covers both developments.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the August 2026 fee award means
On August 26, 2026, the court awarded Lively $407,451 in attorneys’ fees and costs related to the dismissed defamation claim, AP reported. Lively had sought about $8 million in fees and costs. The $407,451 was a fee-and-cost award to Lively: it was not damages on her settled claims, not a settlement payment, and not an award from Baldoni’s $400 million demand.
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Case comparison
| Case or figure | What it concerned | Disposition or status | Dollar amount and meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baldoni and Wayfarer’s case against Lively, Reynolds and others | Defamation and related claims | Amended complaint dismissed June 9, 2025; final judgment followed in October 2025 after no amended complaint was filed by the deadline | $400 million sought; not awarded |
| Lively’s separate action | Alleged conduct during the film’s production and alleged retaliation | Settled in May 2026 before trial | Settlement terms not announced in the cited AP report |
| Lively’s fee-and-cost award | Fees and costs related to the dismissed defamation claim | Awarded August 26, 2026 | $407,451 awarded; Lively had sought about $8 million |
| Baldoni’s separate case against The New York Times | A separate claim against the newspaper | Not the action against Lively and Reynolds | $250 million sought, according to AP reporting |
Why the distinctions matter
- A lawsuit’s requested amount is not a judgment: Baldoni and Wayfarer sought $400 million, but that demand was dismissed.
- A dismissal of a complaint is a procedural outcome; it does not, by itself, establish the truth of every competing account of the film’s production.
- Lively’s settlement and her later fee award belong to different proceedings and have different meanings. The settlement terms were not announced in the cited report; the fee award relates to the dismissed defamation claim.
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