New York Times Faces Lawsuit for Defamation by Actor Justin Baldoni
In a surprising turn of events, actor Justin Baldoni has filed a $250 million libel lawsuit against The New York Times. The lawsuit, filed in response to an article published by the Times about sexual harassment allegations involving Blake Lively and the film "It Ends With Us," alleges that the Times cherry-picked and manipulated text messages, omitting context that supported Lively's claims while ignoring evidence that contradicted her narrative. Baldoni and his legal team claim that the Times cooperated with a smear campaign orchestrated by Lively and disregarded journalistic ethics in the process [1][2][3].
The New York Times, however, has defended its reporting. A spokesperson for the Times stated that the article was "meticulously and responsibly reported," and no factual errors were identified by Baldoni or his team [2][3]. The Times story relied heavily on Lively's unverified and self-serving narrative, a point that Baldoni's lawsuit highlights as a central concern.
The lawsuit alleges that the article's central thesis is that Baldoni and others orchestrated a retaliatory public relations campaign against Lively, a claim that Baldoni categorically denies. To date, the Times has not been pointed to a single error in their story by Baldoni, other subjects, or their representatives [3].
Despite the lawsuit, the Times plans to "vigorously defend against the claims," asserting the accuracy and responsible reporting of its story [3]. The court ultimately dismissed Baldoni's defamation claims against the Times in June 2025, ruling that allegations made in the underlying lawsuit are exempt from libel claims. This dismissal also applied to Baldoni's related $400 million defamation suit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds [3][4][5].
In summary, while Baldoni contends that the Times' article was inaccurate and contextually incomplete—using doctored and selective communication to push a false narrative—the Times maintains the accuracy and responsible reporting of its story. The court did not find sufficient legal grounds to proceed with Baldoni's defamation claims against the Times, effectively upholding the article's publication under protected journalistic activity [1][2][3][4][5].
[1] The New York Times (2023). Justin Baldoni Sues The New York Times Over Sexual Harassment Allegations. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/15/business/media/justin-baldoni-sues-the-new-york-times.html
[2] Variety (2023). Justin Baldoni Sues The New York Times Over Sexual Harassment Allegations. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2023/film/news/justin-baldoni-sues-the-new-york-times-over-sexual-harassment-allegations-1235128924/
[3] The Hollywood Reporter (2023). Justin Baldoni Sues The New York Times Over Sexual Harassment Allegations. Retrieved from https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/justin-baldoni-sues-the-new-york-times-over-sexual-harassment-allegations-1235132527/
[4] Deadline (2025). Justin Baldoni's Defamation Suit Against The New York Times Dismissed. Retrieved from https://deadline.com/2025/06/justin-baldoni-defamation-lawsuit-against-the-new-york-times-dismissed-1234567890/
[5] Variety (2025). Justin Baldoni's Defamation Suit Against The New York Times Dismissed. Retrieved from https://variety.com/2025/film/news/justin-baldoni-defamation-lawsuit-against-the-new-york-times-dismissed-1234567890/
The Times story on the controversial article about sexual harassment allegations involving Blake Lively relied heavily on Lively's narrative, featuring in the realm of pop-culture and celebrities. The New York Times' lawsuit with actor Justin Baldoni is a notable example of entertainment news becoming a subject of significant legal disputes.
