Justin Baldoni has spoken out following the dismissal of his defamation case.
On Monday, a New York judge dismissed the actor/director's $400 million (£295 million) defamation lawsuit against his It Ends with Us co-star, Blake Lively.
Baldoni filed the lawsuit in January after the Gossip Girl actress accused him of sexually harassing her on the set of the 2024 film and launching a smear campaign against her. Lively publicly detailed these accusations in a New York Times article.
In response, Baldoni accused Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist of extortion and defamation. He also filed a $250 million (£185 million) lawsuit against the New York Times.
Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni's countersuit this week, though he said the actor would be allowed to amend and refile his allegations of interference with contracts by 23 June.
In a statement to Us Weekly on Tuesday, Baldoni's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, insisted that they are not backing down and criticised Lively's team for declaring "victory".
"Ms. Lively and her team's predictable declaration of victory is false, so let us be clear about the latest ruling," the Freedman wrote. "While the Court dismissed the defamation-related claims, the Court has invited us to amend four out of the seven claims against Ms. Lively, which will showcase additional evidence and refined allegations."
He continued, "This case is about false accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation and a nonexistent smear campaign, which Ms. Lively's own team conveniently describes as 'untraceable' because they cannot prove what never happened."
The attorney stated that, with the "facts" on their side, they will "march forward" with confidence.
He concluded, "We are grateful for the organic show of support from the public and for the dedication of the Internet sleuth community who continue to cover the case with discernment and integrity."
After the case was dismissed, Lively's legal team called the decision a "total victory and a complete vindication" for the actress, with her lawyers telling Us Weekly, "As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it."
