Blake Lively Suffers First Courtroom Loss: Judge Tosses Claim Against Alleged Online Smear Organiser

Blake Lively has suffered her first courtroom setback after two legal wins in the ongoing feud with It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.

In a recent update, a New York judge dismissed her claim against a social media strategist she alleged helped coordinate an online smear campaign against her. The decision comes just days after a separate ruling brought an end to Baldoni's own large-scale defamation against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times.

Baldoni's loss is a defamation suit that was roughly £312 million (400 million dollars) and was filed to seek damages from Lively's camp. This is the second time the claim was put to an end by a federal judge.

Although Lively's sexual harassment case against Baldoni is still set to go to trial, the dismissal of the claim against the strategist has slowed down what had appeared to be growing legal momentum on her side.

Lively's Claim Against Online Smear Campaign Organiser Junked

In this claim, Lively had accused social media consultant Jed Wallace of helping Baldoni's side organise what she described as a coordinated network of online accounts intended to damage her reputation during and after the release of It Ends With Us.

However, the Daily Mail reported that Judge Lewis Liman ruled that Lively's legal team had not demonstrated that Wallace, who is based in Texas, had sufficient jurisdictional ties to New York to justify being sued there.

The judge had previously given Lively's team an opportunity to present more evidence showing Wallace's connection to the state. Following the review, the court concluded that the additional material did not meet the threshold required.

The allegations may still be pursued, but they would need to be brought in a Texas court rather than in New York, which Lively would consider, per her spokesperson. They explained that Lively intends to move forward with the remainder of her claims and is preparing the March trial with Baldoni and several other defendants connected to his company, Wayfarer Studios.

Wallace Files Defamation Case Against Lively

Following the dismissal, Wallace has filed a defamation case against Lively in Texas.

Meanwhile, in an email sent to IBT UK, Baldoni's legal team welcomed the judge's ruling, arguing that there was no credible evidence to support claims of Wallace or Baldoni coordinating an online smear operation.

'We are grateful for the Court's order today, making clear that the claims against Mr. Wallace never belonged in this court. Allegations that he participated in any smear campaign are unsupported, and all claims against him have been dismissed by this court'.

'We are grateful for the Court's order today, making clear that the claims against Mr. Wallace never belonged in this court. Allegations that he participated in any smear campaign are unsupported, and all claims against him have been dismissed by this court'.

Baldoni's attorney, Bryan Freedman, expressed confidence that the remaining allegations would also be disproven in court.

Lively's Online Smear Campaign Claims

Filings from the case describe what Lively's lawyers call a 'retaliatory media and influencer push', alleging that public relations staff, social media strategists, and consultants coordinated messaging intended to undermine Lively's credibility following her harassment claims.

Following this, Lively's team has also accused Baldoni and his associates of concealing or preventing access to evidence during the discovery process. Her lawyers claim digital communications involving apps with auto-deleting features were used to avoid disclosure.

Baldoni's team has rejected these claims, maintaining that the app 'Signal' is widely used across the entertainment industry to ensure confidentiality.