Actor and director Justin Baldoni’s team is “in recalibration mode” after a New York judge dismissed his $400 million countersuit against his It Ends With Us co-star, Blake Lively, last week, a PR expert has revealed.
Judge Lewis Liman entered the ruling on Oct. 31 after the 41-year-old and his company, Wayfarer Studios, missed an Oct. 17 deadline to refile their case. The judge had dismissed the lawsuit in June, but left things open for Baldoni to refile.
When Baldoni and his company didn’t submit an amended complaint, Liman closed the case for good. The 38-year-old actress was the only party to respond, asking that the dismissal be made final while keeping her request for attorneys’ fees active, which was granted.
After the lawsuit was originally thrown out in June, Baldoni’s team released a statement that read, “The court decision on the motion to dismiss has no effect whatsoever on the truth that there was no harassment nor any smear campaign, and it does not in any way affect our vigorous defense against Ms. Lively’s claims.”
Baldoni previously filed the $400 million extortion and defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband, Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times.
Baldoni first filed the lawsuit in January 2025, a month after Lively claimed that on the set of the film It Ends With Us, he created a hostile work environment, participated in sexual harassment, and tried to create a smear campaign against her.
The star countersued, claiming it was an attempt to destroy his reputation. He included The New York Times as the publication ran a December 2024 article detailing Lively’s claims.
Now, public relations expert Grayce McCormick at Lightfinder Public Relations told Daily Express US, “Regarding Baldoni, it’s too soon to forecast next steps.
“The dismissal was not a ruling in favor of Blake Lively on the merits. It was a procedural ruling tied to missed refiling deadlines and privilege protections.
“The financial side remains live, and Lively’s underlying case is still headed toward a March 2026 trial, so the narrative is far from settled.”
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McCormick continued, “From a PR perspective, the dismissal wasn’t about guilt or innocence; it was procedural. But in the public eye, those nuances blur.
“It can look like a retreat, which means his team has to refocus the narrative around his work and integrity.
“The team is in recalibration mode, tightening messaging and refocusing on Baldoni’s creative work. After months of courtroom headlines, they need to remind people why he is in the public sphere in the first place: storytelling, not scandal.”
The PR expert concluded, “The best advice right now is to say less and create more. Keep statements brief and avoid emotional reactions. The public has a short attention span, but authenticity has a long shelf life.”
In a statement following the case’s dismissal, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, said, “At this point, we have to set the record straight: no deadlines were missed. Our clients chose not to amend their complaint to preserve appeal rights.”
Freedman’s statement added, “In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms Lively’s claims. We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available and look forward to our day in court.”
He also said the “truth regarding this case continues to be completely distorted in the media” in relation to the latest ruling, and that “even something as simple as a procedural update has resulted in a total mischaracterization.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
