Justin Baldoni Fights to Keep NYT in Blake Lively Legal Battle as Paper Pushes for Exit

Justin Baldoni is pushing back against The New York Times’ request to be dismissed from his ongoing $400 million legal fight with Blake Lively. In a March 14 court filing, Baldoni and his team argued that the case should go to trial, accusing the newspaper of more than just reporting on Lively’s claims.

“A pietistic bastion of the media establishment, the NYT has long presumed itself beyond accountability,” the filing stated. “Not here.” Baldoni’s legal team claims the Times worked with Lively to spread a “false and defamatory” story about him and his Wayfarer Studios team.

The case centers on a December 21 New York Times article titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which reported on Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni originally sued the newspaper in California for $250 million but later folded those claims into his ongoing defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their PR team.

The Times argues that Baldoni’s lawsuit lacks specifics and that the paper is protected under the First Amendment. The publication also secured a temporary win on March 4 when Judge Lewis J. Liman paused discovery while it seeks dismissal. Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha responded, saying, “The flaws in the Baldoni/Wayfarer case were made clear last week in their own legal filing when they asked the court for yet another opportunity to amend their complaint.”

Meanwhile, Lively has been making public appearances with Reynolds, recently attending SXSW and sharing lighthearted family moments on social media. Despite the ongoing legal fight, she and her husband appear unfazed in the public eye.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!