Everyone misses a deadline now and then. Usually, it’s something like “not canceling your Hulu account before the automatic renewal” and not “blowing the drop dead date on your $400 million lawsuit.”
Docket calendaring software is out there, folks!
Despite the headlines and social media spin out there, Justin Baldoni already lost his lawsuit alleging a wide-ranging defamation campaign by former co-star Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and the New York Times. It’s all part of a messy Hollywood battle kicked off when Lively initially accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during production of It Ends With Us and claimed he engaged in a retaliatory campaign to destroy her credibility. Baldoni responded with his defamation suit. That’s where the procedural weeds can get a little confusing because Baldoni’s defamation claim got consolidated with Lively’s suit against Baldoni back in January, but Judge Lewis Liman tossed Baldoni’s claims in June.
Baldoni’s lawyers sought leave to amend — which was granted — and then never did it. Months after the fact, the Times asked if these claims were, you know, still a whole thing. On October 17, Judge Liman clarified that he didn’t need to issue a separate final judgment in the combined case to commemorate the official end of the Baldoni claims, but granted Baldoni a week to show cause why the court shouldn’t go ahead and issue a final judgment. October 24 came and went… and Baldoni’s lawyers didn’t respond at all.
Lively’s claims carry on, but as far as Baldoni’s case is concerned, It Ends With A Deadline Miss.
Judge Liman entered judgment this morning, though the operative deadline was the October 24 miss. Which means they can’t even blame forgetting to set their clocks for the weekend daylight saving time switch!
Not that Baldoni has much to say. The case is over and they didn’t bother to amend it when they had the chance. But you’ve got to answer! It’s not an intractable burden to drop a letter with the court explaining that you’re reserving all your rights but have nothing to add to the consideration of the order to show cause.
To borrow from a different movie, say anything.
The only good news here is for the lawyers watching this from afar. Multiple legal social media accounts responded to headlines about Baldoni losing over a missed deadline by describing that as the definition of their own personal hell. Thankfully, it’s not nearly that bad. This wasn’t a random oversight, but the product of a number of filing decisions (or non-decisions as the case may be) in response to a judge extending off-ramps for months.
Joe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter or Bluesky if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.
The post Justin Baldoni Blows Deadline To Save $400 Million Blake Lively Lawsuit, Proving Silence Isn’t Always Golden appeared first on Above the Law.