A US court on Monday threw out It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni’s $400m defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively and husband Ryan Reynolds.

The Hollywood power couple and their publicist Leslie Sloane filed a motion to dismiss the case and New York federal judge Lewis Liman agreed, marking the latest development in a complex and long-running saga.

Judge Liman also threw out Baldoni’s $250m defamation case against The New York Times that had alleged inaccurate reporting by the media outlet. However he granted Baldoni until June 23 to submit an amended complaint against Lively and Reynolds based on contractual interference and breach of implied covenant.

Matters boiled over last December, when It Ends With Us was still in US cinemas through Sony Pictures and well on its way

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