Justin Baldoni Sues Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds for $400M Over Alleged Smear Campaign

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Actor Justin Baldoni has filed a $400 million lawsuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, accusing the couple of civil extortion, defamation, and orchestrating a smear campaign against him. The lawsuit, filed Thursday in the Southern District of New York, alleges that Lively falsely accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and other misconduct following their collaboration on the film “It Ends With Us.”

Baldoni, who co-starred with Lively in the Colleen Hoover-adapted film, claims the actress and her husband, Reynolds, engaged in a deliberate effort to tarnish his reputation. The lawsuit seeks a jury trial and a judgment of $400 million, citing emotional distress, negligence, and retaliation. Baldoni’s legal team has included text messages, emails, and other evidence to support their claims.

“Plaintiffs now have no choice but to fight back armed only with the truth – and the mountain of concrete evidence disproving Lively’s allegations,” the court documents state. The lawsuit alleges that Lively’s accusations overshadowed the film’s original mission to honor survivors of domestic violence.

Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, told Fox News Digital, “This lawsuit is a legal action based on an overwhelming amount of untampered evidence detailing Blake Lively and her team’s duplicitous attempt to destroy Justin Baldoni, his team, and their respective companies.” Freedman added that Lively’s actions were motivated by a desire to repair her own public image.

Lively’s legal team has denied the allegations, stating that her claims are “backed by concrete facts.” A representative for Lively and Reynolds did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The lawsuit also names Wayfarer Studios and producer Jamey Heath as plaintiffs, alleging that Lively and Reynolds attempted to extort them into taking accountability for her actions. Baldoni’s legal team claims that Lively convened an “all hands” meeting on Jan. 4, 2024, to address concerns about Baldoni and Heath’s behavior, which Reynolds attended.

Following Lively’s initial lawsuit, Baldoni also sued The New York Times for defamation. The legal battle has drawn significant attention, with both sides presenting conflicting narratives about the events leading up to the lawsuits.

“Ms. Lively will never again be allowed to continue to exploit actual victims of real harassment solely for her personal reputation gain at the expense of those without power,” Freedman said in his statement. “We know the truth, and now the public does too.”