Blake Lively racked up a meaningful legal victory this week when a defamation suit filed against her by a digital strategist linked to Justin Baldoni was thrown out of court.
The actress, 38, had been named in a lawsuit filed in Texas this past February by the public relations firm Street Relations Inc. and its owner, Jed Wallace.
The Gossip Girl star had named Wallace and his company in her legal complaint filed last December against Baldoni in connection with the production and promotion of It Ends with Us.
A source close to Baldoni told Daily Mail of Wednesday’s ruling: ‘The two separate cases were each dismissed due to jurisdiction.
‘The difference is that Blake largely blamed Jed for the alleged smear campaign, but regardless of the reason behind the dismissal, Jed is no longer a part of the larger suit brought forth by Blake.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Lively for further comment on the story.
Blake Lively, 38, racked up a meaningful legal victory this week when a defamation suit filed against her was thrown out of court.. Pictured in NYC September 5
It Ends with Us, directed by Baldoni, was a surprise hit when it arrived in theaters in 2024
A rep for Lively told TMZ that the latest development clears the path for the actress and her team to present a strong case when it arrives in court next spring.
‘With this decision, all of the retaliatory lawsuits filed against Blake Lively by Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and their crisis communications and digital teams have been dismissed,’ Lively’s rep told TMZ.
The rep added that ‘Ms. Lively will have her day in court on her claims at the March trial in New York.’
The ruling came about a week after a judge scuttled claims made by Lively that Wallace was a collaborator in the efforts to damage her reputation, via social media.
The presiding judge said that Lively’s legal team erroneously filed the case in New York City, as Wallace is based out of Austin, Texas.
The suit was formally dismissed as result of a lack of personal jurisdiction, as it was unclear if Texas was the proper venue.
A spokesperson for Lively told People November 5 that ‘the Court’s decision today was only about where Jed Wallace can be sued,’ noting that ‘the Court ruled that Ms. Lively’s claims against him can and should be brought in a different court.’
The spokesperson added that The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star remained ‘evaluating her many options for doing so.’
The rep noted that the ruling had ‘no impact on [Lively’s] case against Baldoni, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, Abel, Wayfarer and The Agency Group, who she will see in court in New York at the March trial.’
It earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars
Lively pictured June 9 in NYC, hours after a judge threw out Baldoni’s case against her
Lively, who is wed to Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds, claimed Baldoni had sexually harassed her while making It Ends with Us, which was a surprise hit when it arrived in theaters in August last year. Baldoni denied the allegation.
The movie earned $148 million in domestic box office, and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars.
The motion picture, which also starred Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, was based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover.
The storyline of the film centered around a toxic relationship between Lily Bloom (played by Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
According to a logline for the film, Lily ‘overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life,’ as ‘a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.’
In December of last year, Lively named Baldoni in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional stress.
In her lawsuit, the actress accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways – including body shaming her – and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation.
Barring any major changes, Baldoni and Lively will face off in a courtroom next spring
In her lawsuit, Lively named a number of Baldoni’s collaborators, including his company Wayfarer Studios, the studio’s CEO and financial backer, and PR personnel Nathan and Abel.
Baldoni had initially asked for $250 million in damages from The New York Times, mentioning a report it published on the topic, then added it to the $400 million lawsuit he filed this past January.
In the suit, Baldoni named Lively, her spouse Ryan Reynolds and her publicist Leslie Sloane, citing the aforementioned report in legal documents. It was thrown out of court this past June.
All parties have denied all of the allegations against them.
