Justin Baldoni wants his $161 million lawsuit against Blake Lively dismissed.
On Thursday, the actor, 41, formally filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
Baldoni argued that Lively, 38, cannot prove the allegations of sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to investigate, aiding and abetting, defamation, false misrepresentation and conspiracy.
He also argued that she “was not an employee, but an independent contractor,” and that he could not prove his contractual claims.
Baldoni went on to reject “certain aspects” of Lively’s claim for damages.
Last week, the actress claimed in court documents that she lost a whopping $161 million as a result of Baldoni’s alleged actions.
She claimed to have lost $56.2 million in past and future income from acting and producing gigs, speaking engagements, and advocacy work.
She claimed hair care brand Blake Brown suffered $49 million in damages and beverage company Betty Buzz/Betty Booze suffered $22 million in losses.
Lively also claimed that she had received 65 million negative impressions of herself on social media, resulting in a $34 million hit to her reputation.
But Baldoni argued that a “reasonable jury” could not convict him because damages for lost profits must be proven with “reasonable certainty” and cannot be “speculative, possible, or imagined.”
Baldoni said Lively’s lawsuit “lacks standing to assert lost profits or royalty claims” and argues that she “cannot recover speculative lost profits.”
Representatives for Lively and Baldoni did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
In December 2024, Lively sued her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy, and lost wages.
She claimed that Mr. Baldoni sexually harassed her on the set of the film, which was released in August 2024, and that after holding a meeting to address Mr. Baldoni’s alleged conduct, he hired a crisis management team to tarnish her reputation.
Ms. Baldoni has continued to deny Ms. Lively’s claims, but in January she responded with a $400 million defamation and extortion countersuit against her and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
His counterclaim was dismissed in June, as was a $250 million defamation lawsuit against the New York Times, which first reported Lively’s claims.
Despite the formal conclusion of the case recently, Baldoni made it clear that he is not done fighting. Lively’s case is scheduled to go to trial in March 2026.
