Blake Lively filed a federal lawsuit in December claiming that Texas-based social media guru Jed Wallace orchestrated an untraceable smear campaign against her on behalf of Justin Baldoni at the behest of publicists Melissa Nathan and Jen Abel. However, a judge has granted Wallace’s motion to dismiss himself as a defendant.
Judge Lewis Liman ruled that Lively did not prove her case, stating that Wallace could not be forced to defend the lawsuit in New York because the alleged negative publicity campaign took place outside of the state. The judge found that Wallace and his firm Street Relations were not aware of any jurisdictional contacts made by others in New York.
Despite this setback, Lively’s defamation suit against Baldoni and other members of his team will proceed in federal court with Judge Liman overseeing. Baldoni is separately suing Lively for defamation in Texas, but the motion to dismiss Wallace as a defendant has dealt a blow to her claims that he was involved in a smear campaign against her.
Lively’s spokesperson released a statement saying she respects the court’s decision and will continue to evaluate options for holding Wallace accountable. The case is one of several tied to friction on the set of “It Ends With Us,” which Baldoni directed and Lively starred in.
Source: https://variety.com/2025/film/news/blake-lively-justin-baldoni-social-media-guru-jed-wallace-dismissed-1236462686