Actor Justin Baldoni's $US400 million ($611 million) defamation lawsuit against actress Blake Lively has been officially ended by a federal judge in Manhattan, New York.
The lawsuit was in response to Ms Lively's ongoing sexual harassment lawsuit against Mr Baldoni, which she filed in December 2024.
On Friday, local time, a new order was signed where US District Court Judge Lewis Liman said Mr Baldoni missed a court deadline on October 17 to file an amended complaint after the court dismissed his case in June, US media reported.
It is the latest in the ongoing legal saga between the actor and actress.
Here is what has unfolded so far.
How did the lawsuits come about?
Ms Lively's lawsuit was filed after she and Mr Baldoni worked together on the film It Ends With Us, a movie adaptation of Colleen Hoover's book of the same name.
Mr Baldoni contributed heavily to the film as he directed it and played the male lead. He also co-owns Wayfarer Studios, which produced the movie.
Ms Lively played the female lead alongside him in the film.
The legal back and forth between the two began after Ms Lively filed a complaint against Mr Baldoni with the California Civil Rights Department on December 20, 2024, where she accused Mr Baldoni of sexual harassment while on the set of the film and trying to "destroy" her reputation.
Following the complaint, she filed a lawsuit against Mr Baldoni for sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, infliction of emotional distress, invasion of privacy and lost wages, on December 31, 2024.
On that same day, Mr Baldoni filed a libel lawsuit against The New York Times for its reporting on Ms Lively's allegations.
In January, Mr Baldoni filed a countersuit against Ms Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for defamation and extortion.
The countersuit was dismissed in June after Judge Liman ruled that Mr Baldoni could not sue Ms Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made in a lawsuit were exempt from libel claims.
What happens now?
Before ending Mr Baldoni's defamation lawsuit, Judge Liman had indicated he would combine the two lawsuits for trial.
Although the judge has ended Mr Baldoni's defamation lawsuit, "the actor still has the right to appeal the judgement once the court resolves motions related to Ms Lively's request to recoup legal fees," US media has reported.
Judge Liman has told both sides to prepare for a March 9, 2026 trial.
ABC/ Wires
