Just days after a federal judge tossed out his headline-grabbing $400 million countersuit against Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, the Jane the Virgin actor was spotted strolling through Disneyland like a man without a care in the world. Wearing a Star Wars T-shirt and flashing smiles to fans, Baldoni looked totally chill in several TikTok clips that surfaced Saturday, June 28.
The laid-back outing came right on the heels of a serious legal defeat. On June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s lawsuit, which accused Lively, Reynolds, and others — including The New York Times — of defamation and extortion. The judge also dismissed a separate suit Baldoni filed against the newspaper.
Lively didn’t hold back in her response. In a statement shared through her legal team, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, she said:
“Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times.”
“As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.”
Her legal team is now seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages, and punitive damages against Baldoni and his collaborators. They’re calling the original case “abusive litigation.” But Baldoni’s team isn’t backing down completely. On June 24, his attorney, Bryan Freedman, confirmed to PEOPLE that they would not be amending the tossed claims, but they’re still coming out swinging.
“The Court’s decision on the motion to dismiss has no effect whatsoever on the truth that there was no harassment nor any smear campaign,” Freedman said.
“Discovery is proceeding and we are confident that we will prevail against these factually baseless accusations.”
He also hinted at new legal moves on the horizon, stating, “Our clients will be pursuing additional legal options that are available to us.” Meanwhile, Lively’s camp threw one last jab following Baldoni’s decision not to revise the original complaint:
“As per usual, that was not true. The Court’s dismissal of Baldoni’s sham lawsuit was a total victory after all.”
Despite all the behind-the-scenes drama, Baldoni’s Disneyland appearance gave fans a glimpse of someone seemingly unfazed. It might be a strategic calm, or maybe the force was just strong that day. Either way, the legal battle between these Hollywood heavyweights is far from over. The next round of proceedings is set for December 2024, and judging by the tone on both sides, it’s going to get even messier.