Ryan Reynolds is seeking to have Justin Baldoni’s $400 million lawsuit dismissed, arguing that Baldoni’s claims are nothing more than “hurt feelings.” On Tuesday, Reynolds filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit—which also names Blake Lively—asserting that the director of It Ends With Us has no legal grounds to sue the Deadpool star over what essentially amounts to a personal insult.

According to the court documents, Reynolds’ legal team contends that the First Amended Complaint fails to offer any plausible facts that would suggest Reynolds did not believe the statement he made. The filing notes that the 48-year-old actor called Baldoni a “predator” because he genuinely held that belief. As one part of the filing states, “The entirety of Mr. Baldoni’s case appears to be based on Mr. Reynolds allegedly privately calling Mr. Baldoni a ‘predator,’ but that is not defamation unless it can be shown that Mr. Reynolds did not believe that statement to be true.”

The backdrop of this legal battle dates back to the successful release of It Ends With Us last year, after which Blake Lively sued Baldoni, accusing him of sexually harassing her on set and launching a smear campaign intended to tarnish her public image. In response, the 41-year-old actor countersued both Lively and Reynolds for defamation.

Baldoni’s legal team has accused Reynolds of using the Deadpool character “Nicepool” as a means to mock him, alleging that Reynolds also berated Baldoni for allegedly fat-shaming Lively and for calling him a “sexual predator.” However, Reynolds’ attorneys argue that if he truly believed Baldoni behaved like a predator, then his remarks cannot legally be considered defamatory. They further argue that Baldoni’s reaction to the “Nicepool” character amounts to an overreaction, disconnected from any legitimate legal claim, and merely part of an attempt to cast him in a “bully” role—an image that was also advanced during the alleged retaliation campaign against Lively in August 2024.

In summary, Reynolds’ motion to dismiss hinges on the argument that his comments were a true expression of his beliefs, and therefore, Baldoni’s lawsuit—which centers on what his lawyers describe as “hurt feelings”—lacks a valid legal basis.