A JUDGE HAS dismissed the lawsuit filed by actor and director Justin Baldoni against his It Ends With Us co-star Blake Lively after she sued him for sexual harassment and retaliation.

US District Court Judge Lewis Liman’s decision is the latest development in the bitter legal battle surrounding the dark romantic drama that includes Lively suing Baldoni in late December.

Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios countersued in January for $400m, accusing Lively and her husband, Deadpool actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.

The judge ruled that Baldoni cannot sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her lawsuit, because allegations made in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims.

Judge Liman also ruled that Baldoni’s claims that Lively stole creative control of the film did not count as extortion under California law.

Baldoni’s legal team can revise the lawsuit if it wants to pursue different claims related to whether Lively breached a contract, the judge said.

It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a $50m.

But the film’s release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni.

The judge also dismissed Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which had reported on Lively’s sexual harassment allegations.