Justin Baldoni suffered a significant legal defeat when a judge dismissed his defamation claim against The New York Times as well as his countersuit against Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist. The director's $650 million lawsuit, in which they are accused of extortion and defamation, comes to an end with the court's ruling on June 9.

Baldon's $650 libel case is dismissed by the judge.

“The Wayfarer Parties have not alleged that Lively is accountable for any statements other than the statements in her CRD complaint, which are privileged,” Judge Lewis J. Liman said in the opinion and order filing that PEOPLE obtained. The statement continued, "The Wayfarer Parties have claimed that Reynolds and [publicist Leslie] Sloane made further claims accusing Baldoni of sexual misbehavior and that the Times published more material accusing the Wayfarer Parties of conducting a smear campaign."

However, as is necessary for a claim of defamation under current law, the Wayfarer Parties have not claimed that, given the evidence at their disposal, Reynolds, Sloane, or The Times would have had strong cause to believe that these statements were untrue.

"The Wayfarer Parties' additional claims also fail," the judge said. Therefore, the Amended Complaint must be dismissed in its entirety.

The judgement is described as a 'total victory' by Lively's attorneys.

The ruling, according to Lively's attorneys Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, was a "total victory and a complete vindication" for the former Gossip Girl star and the other people who "Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times."

In a statement, they said, “As we have said from day one, this '$400 million' lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it.” They also expressed anticipation for the next phase, which involves seeking “attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damage” from the Watferer Parties, whom they accuse of “perpetrated this abusive litigation,” as reported by People.

Slonae's attorney, who is also Lively's publicist, issued a distinct statement as well. Leslie Sloane has maintained all throughout that she never slandered Baldoni or the Wayfarer Parties, and that the Wayfarer Parties wrongly brought her into this case in an effort to intentionally damage Sloane's reputation," Sigrid McCawley stated in the statement. The Court's ruling today establishes unequivocally that Sloane did nothing wrong. Justice has been done, and Sloane is completely exonerated.

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