Justin Baldoni has revealed that his legal battle against Blake Lively is far from over.
Despite the recent conclusion of the countersuit, his attorney Brian Friedman told Page Six that Baldoni and his team at Wayfarer Studios intentionally chose not to file an amended complaint.
“We couldn’t meet the deadline,” Friedman emphasized. “Our client has chosen not to amend the complaint in order to preserve his right to appeal.”
At this time, it is unclear whether Baldoni and/or Wayfarer Studios actually plan to appeal.
“In the meantime, our focus is on Ms. Lively’s claims,” Friedman added, saying he and his team “remain committed to pursuing the truth through all available legal and factual avenues.”
He concluded by emphasizing that they are “looking forward to their day in court.”
Last week, U.S. District Judge Louis Lehman, who is overseeing the case, issued a final ruling that Baldoni and co-plaintiffs had refused to file an amended complaint in a $400 million defamation and extortion counterclaim against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Lehman said he contacted all parties in mid-October to warn them he would issue a final judgment to close the case, noting that Lively was the only one to respond.
The actress, 38, requested that her claim for litigation costs continue, and Lehman granted the request.
Mr. Baldoni’s January countersuit was initially dismissed in June, as was his $250 million defamation suit against the New York Times.
At the time, Lehman ruled that Baldoni, 41, and his co-plaintiffs “do not allege that Mr. Lively was responsible for any of the non-privileged statements in Mr. Lively’s[California Civil Rights Division]complaint.”
Lively first accused her co-star and director of the movie “Owari no Seraph” of sexual harassment and retaliation in December 2024, and filed a formal complaint later that month.
The New York Times first reported her claims.
Lehman explained that Baldoni’s countersuit “alleges that Reynolds and (publicist Leslie) Sloan issued additional statements accusing Baldoni of sexual misconduct and that the Times issued additional statements accusing the Wayfarer Party of engaging in a smear campaign.”
But Lehman continued: “The Wayfarer Parties do not allege that Reynolds, Sloan and the Times would have seriously doubted the truth of these statements based on the information available to them, as is required to hold them liable for defamation under applicable law.”
Baldoni continues to deny Lively’s accusations, and her case is scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.
