“Meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting”— New York Times on dismissal of Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against them and Blake Lively

The New York Times has responded to the dismissal of Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against it and Blake Lively. Baldoni had filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times.

Lively sued Justin Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios in December 2024, alleging that she was s*xually harassed on the set of It Ends With Us and that Justin retaliated against her for making those complaints. Baldoni subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit, claiming that Lively, Reynolds, The New York Times, and Lively's publicist made false allegations.

On Monday, June 9, Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed the entire lawsuit, asserting that The Times was protected by "fair report" privilege. Charlie Stadtlander, a spokesman for The New York Times, said:

“We are grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit against The New York Times for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting. Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the court recognized that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism.

"We will continue to stand up in court for our journalism and for our journalists when their work comes under attack.”

The fair report privilege allows the media to report on legal proceedings without the risk of defamation liability.

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Blake Lively's representatives respond after Justin Baldoni's lawsuit is dismissed

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In December 2024, Blake Lively sued Justin Baldoni for alleged s*xual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us. She also claims that Baldoni and some of the movie's producers initiated a smear campaign against her.

Baldoni subsequently filed a defamation lawsuit against Lively, her publicist, Leslie Sloane, and Ryan Reynolds. Later, he added The New York Times as a defendant, claiming a December 21 article by the organization about Lively's allegations had defamed him.

However, his lawsuit was dismissed on Monday, June 9, 2025. Following the dismissal, Lively's lawyers released a statement, saying (via Variety):

“Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, Leslie Sloane and The New York Times.

"As we have said from day one, this ‘$400 million’ lawsuit was a sham, and the Court saw right through it. We look forward to the next round, which is seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages against Baldoni, Sarowitz, Nathan, and the other Wayfarer Parties who perpetrated this abusive litigation.”

Judge Lewis J. Liman has allowed Baldoni to amend and refile certain allegations concerning interference with contracts. Aside from that, his entire lawsuit has been dismissed.

In the lawsuit, Justin Baldoni accused Ryan Reynolds of defamation for calling him a "s*xual predator." He also accused Blake Lively's publicist, Leslie Sloane, of defamation following her interactions with the Daily Mail. However, the judge noted that both Reynolds and Sloane were relying on Lively's account of events.

The trial for Lively's suit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios is set to begin in March 2026. Lively and Baldoni worked together on It Ends With Us, which was released in August 2024. Lively portrays Lily Bloom, while Baldoni, who also directed the film, plays Ryle Kincaid. The story explores how they fall in love but have to deal with numerous obstacles and uncertainties.

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