Justin Baldoni is refusing to let The New York Times remove itself from his ongoing $400 million legal battle with Blake Lively, arguing that the publication should remain involved in the case.
“This dispute should be resolved by a jury at trial,” states a March 14 legal memorandum from Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios, CEO Jamey Health, financier Steve Sarowitz, and publicists Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan. The response comes after The New York Times filed a motion on February 28 seeking to be dismissed from the lawsuit ahead of its scheduled March 2026 trial.
Baldoni Accuses NYT of Malicious Collusion
Describing The New York Times as a “pietistic bastion of the media establishment,” Baldoni’s legal team argues that the newspaper went beyond simply reporting on Lively’s California Civil Rights Department (CRD) complaint and instead “actively vouched for the veracity of its false narrative.”
Advertisement 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 about the Wayfarer Parties, wrongly casting them as villains and making them scapegoats for Lively’s well-publicized media missteps.
the 36-page memo states
The legal dispute stems from a December 21 New York Times exposé titled ‘We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine’, which detailed Lively’s CRD complaint accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, retaliation, and orchestrating an online smear campaign against her. Baldoni initially sued the paper on New Year’s Eve in California state court for libel, fraud, and more, seeking $250 million in damages. However, he later dropped the California suit and instead included The New York Times in his amended lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their PR chief Leslie Sloane, filed in federal court on January 31.
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NYT Dismissal Request and Legal Challenges
The New York Times has maintained that its reporting was protected under the First Amendment and argues that Baldoni’s legal claims lack specificity. The newspaper’s motion to dismiss contends that Baldoni and his team have not clearly defined their claims against each party in the case.
Lively escalated the case further by filing her own amended complaint on February 18, adding additional claims and naming crisis PR consultant Jed Wallace as another party allegedly involved in efforts against her.
Timeline Discrepancies and Legal Maneuvers
One point of contention is the timing of the New York Times article’s release. Baldoni’s legal team alleges that the publication had Lively’s CRD complaint well before it was filed, suggesting potential collusion. However, it was TMZ that first broke the story, publishing its report at 4:54 a.m. PT on December 21, hours before The New York Times released its in-depth exposé at 7:11 a.m. PT.
A significant legal victory for The New York Times came on March 4 when Judge Lewis J. Liman placed a hold on further discovery by Baldoni’s team while the newspaper’s dismissal motion is under consideration. However, no date has been set for a hearing on the motion.
NYT Responds to Baldoni’s Claims
In response to the allegations, New York Times SVP of Communications Danielle Rhoades Ha dismissed Baldoni’s claims as baseless.
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 to try to make it legally sufficient. We are looking forward to addressing the various problems in their latest brief when we file our reply later this week.
she told Deadline
Lively’s Public Reappearance
While the legal drama unfolds, Blake Lively has reemerged in the public eye, making appearances alongside husband Ryan Reynolds at SNL50: The Anniversary Special on February 16 and the Another Simple Favor debut at SXSW on March 7. On March 16, she shared Instagram photos of baking cookies with Reynolds and their children, presenting an image of family life seemingly unaffected by the high-profile legal battle.
With the case continuing to expand and no court date set for The New York Times dismissal hearing, the legal showdown between Baldoni and Lively shows no signs of slowing down.
Source: Deadline