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The lawsuit also included a $250 million libel case against the New York Times for first reporting Lively's sexual harassment allegations. The dismissal encompassed all Baldoni's defamation claims: the judge ruled that Lively's commentary was all protected by law because of a California law linked with the #MeToo movement. In its statement, Lively's legal team dubbed it a "total victory," and Lively shared a grateful message on social media to thank the public for standing behind her, stating that she continues to fight for the rights of women and their safety.
Lively's original civil rights suit against Baldoni, the result of the present defamation claim, accused her former co-star of harassment and later retaliation during and following the film's manufacture. While the major defamation suits were rejected, the judge allowed Baldoni to file an amended complaint by June 23 on two other issues still at play: tortious interference with contract and breach of implied covenant, with the ruling declaring that submitting Lively's allegation to the press was covered by "fair report privilege" and thus did not amount to defamation.
This legal dispute has been in the works of contention for months, with Baldoni's team launching a website in February to post text messages and timelines about Lively's accusations. It began with Lively issuing a formal charge against Baldoni, which included many text messages between her and Baldoni's crisis team devising a plan to "bury" her. Baldoni's partners at Wayfarer Studios and his publicists were co-plaintiffs. The judge's ruling did not affirm the accuracy of Lively's harassment cases; the only disputed question was the extent to which her allegation was safeguarded by law and how it was reported.
