Blake Lively is making it clear that she stands firmly with The New York Times as the publication fights to be removed from a massive $250 million lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni.
The lawsuit, which claims defamation and other allegations, has stirred a significant legal battle, with Lively backing the newspaper’s defense.
The New York Times Responds to Baldoni’s Lawsuit
On Friday, The New York Times filed a motion in a New York federal court to dismiss Baldoni’s lawsuit, defending its reporting on Lively’s sexual harassment claims against him.
The Times maintains that its coverage was fair and accurate, claiming that the allegations from Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios are one-sided and irrelevant to the case.
“The Wayfarer Parties’ claims tell only one side of the story, yet The Times doesn’t belong in this dispute,” the motion states.
Blake Lively Speaks Out in Support of the Times
A spokesperson for Lively also voiced strong support for the newspaper’s legal stance.
“In its motion to dismiss, The New York Times correctly labels Justin Baldoni’s lawsuit for what it is: a PR stunt with no place in a courtroom,” the rep said.
They also highlighted the hypocrisy of Baldoni, who has publicly encouraged men to believe women’s voices but allegedly tried to discredit and intimidate Lively after she spoke out.
The spokesperson further stated, “These bullying tactics will not stand in court, and the meritless nature of these claims will be clear to everyone.”
The Allegations That Sparked the Lawsuit
The legal battle began after The New York Times published an article titled We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine, which covered Lively’s accusations of sexual harassment and retaliation by Baldoni during the filming of It Ends With Us.
Shortly after the article was published on December 21, Baldoni filed a $250 million lawsuit against the Times on December 31, accusing them of defamation.
Although Baldoni initially filed the lawsuit in California, it was later dismissed.
However, the amended complaint in New York still includes The New York Times, along with Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds and their publicist Leslie Sloane.
The Times Defends Its Role in Reporting the Story
The New York Times continues to assert that its involvement was simply part of its journalistic duty to report on Lively’s complaint with the California Civil Rights Department.
The publication’s legal team has firmly stated that the article is privileged as a fair report, rejecting the claims of defamation from Baldoni’s team.
Despite Baldoni’s extensive public outcry and the hundreds of pages of evidence presented by Wayfarer Studios, the Times maintains that the defamation case should be dismissed.
What’s Next in the Legal Battle?
At this point, no hearing date has been set for the motion to dismiss.
However, Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for the Times, expressed confidence in the case. “
As our motion shows, this case should never have been brought against The New York Times,” she told Deadline.
She further emphasized that Lively’s accusations were serious and warranted public attention.
“We did exactly what a news organization should do: we reported the complaint she filed with the California Civil Rights Department. Baldoni’s attempt to discredit our reporting won’t succeed.”
This ongoing legal dispute between Justin Baldoni and The New York Times is far from over, and the outcome could set significant precedents for how sexual harassment allegations are handled in the media.