Khaberni - The American judiciary has concluded a new chapter in the exciting legal dispute between American star Justin Baldoni and star Blake Lively and her husband actor Ryan Reynolds, after Judge Lewis G. Liman decided to close the counter-suit filed by Baldoni against the couple for $400 million, following his withdrawal from filing an amended complaint by the set deadline.
Court documents obtained by "The New York Post" show that Baldoni (41 years old) and his company "Wayfarer Studios" did not submit any amendments to the lawsuit after its rejection in June, despite the judge's warning on October 17 that he intended to issue a final ruling if the abstention continued, thus the court issued a new order on Friday to formally end the case.
On the other hand, Blake Lively (38 years old) was the only party to submit a formal response, asking the judge to issue a final ruling while keeping her request for legal fees in place, which the judge agreed to.
However, Baldoni still has the right to appeal the last judicial decision.
The roots of the dispute date back to last December, when Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni accusing him of harassing her during the filming of the movie It Ends With Us, and coordinating a campaign to defame her after its screening.
In turn, Baldoni denied those allegations and responded by filing a counter-suit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds (49 years old), and their publicist Leslie Sloan, accusing them of defamation and extortion, accusations that the other party completely denied.
In June, Judge Liman had rejected Baldoni's $400 million lawsuit, along with another lawsuit for $250 million against the "New York Times", accusing it of defamation after it published a report about Lively's accusations of harassment against him.
After the decision, Lively's lawyers, Ezra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, described the ruling as "a complete exoneration" for their client, confirming that "the lawsuit was false from day one, and the court saw its truth clearly."
Lively then commented on her Instagram account saying: "Like many, I have felt the pain of retaliatory lawsuits that try to break us through manufactured shame", adding that despite the lawsuit being dropped against her, many "do not have sufficient evidence to defend themselves".
She concluded by saying that she has become more determined to defend the right of every woman to protect herself, her dignity, and her story.
