Justin Baldoni's lawyer has explained why they chose not to amend their defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively. The Gossip Girl actress filed a lawsuit against her It Ends With Us co-star and director late last year, accusing him of sexual harassment on the set and subsequently orchestrating a retaliatory smear campaign against her. Baldoni responded by filing a $400 million (£307 million) countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, among others, for defamation, extortion and invasion of privacy. A judge dismissed Baldoni's lawsuit in June, however, he was given time to amend his complaint. After he failed to do so, the judge formally ended his countersuit on 31 October. In a statement on Tuesday, the actor's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, issued a statement in which he hit back at the "total mischaracterisation" and distortion of the procedural update in the media. "At this point, we have to set the record straight: no deadlines were missed. Our clients chose not to amend their complaint to preserve appeal rights," he insisted to People. "In the meantime, we are focusing on Ms. Lively's claims. We remain fully committed to pursuing the truth through every legal and factual avenue available and look forward to our day in court." U.S. District Court Judge Lewis J. Liman contacted both parties on 17 October to warn them that he would enter a final judgment to conclude Baldoni's countersuit. According to People, Lively was the only party to respond to the judge, asking him to keep her request for legal fees active. Liman agreed to do so. Lively's case, which has been ongoing since December 2024, will head to trial in March 2026.