Justin Baldoni Pushes for Jury Trial in Legal Dispute with Blake Lively and The New York Times
Justin Baldoni asserts that a jury should determine if The New York Times holds responsibility in his legal conflict with Blake Lively. He claims the newspaper crosses accountability lines in their reporting.
Baldoni, 41, called attention to The New York Times as a "pietistic bastion of the media establishment" in court documents filed on March 14. He suggests the publication "went past merely reporting" while sharing Lively's December 2024 complaint against him and his production company, Wayfarer. Baldoni argues that The New York Times "actively vouched for the veracity of its false narrative" by providing Lively’s complaint in full detail.
The court documents state, "The fair report privilege the NYT seeks to hide behind does not protect it from liability for maliciously colluding with Lively and her cohort to publish a false and defamatory hit piece." He claims this publication depicts the Wayfarer Parties as villains, unfairly making them scapegoats for Lively’s past media issues.
Us Weekly has contacted Baldoni, Lively, and The New York Times for statements regarding this dispute. Lively, 37, filed a complaint in December 2024, claiming sexual harassment on the "It Ends With Us" film set. She accused Baldoni and Wayfarer of contributing to a hostile work environment. Following her complaint, The New York Times published the full text, which Baldoni continues to deny.
He has since sued The New York Times for $250 million, while the newspaper filed for dismissal of the lawsuit. Recently, Judge Lewis J. Liman allowed a pause on the lawsuit to review the dismissal request. Baldoni’s latest legal filing opposes this request.
Court documents state, "The press enjoys the fair report privilege when faithfully relaying the contents of a filed complaint." However, Baldoni argues The New York Times deviated from this by basing its report on "thousands of pages" of documents and verifying Lively's claims through their investigation. He states that this approach relinquishes their fair report privilege.
Baldoni suggests that the newspaper engaged in a coordinated effort with Lively’s team for months, while he and Wayfarer had only a short time to prepare their response before publication.
Additionally, Baldoni has filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and publicist Leslie Sloane, who has sought removal from the case. Baldoni’s allegations have been firmly denied by both Lively and Reynolds. The upcoming court date for this case is set for March 2026.
Earlier, SSP wrote about Justin Theroux and Nicole Brydon Bloom's unforgettable wedding adventure.
