United States filmmaker, Justin Baldoni, has taken legal action against The New York Times, filing a libel suit on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court.
The suit accuses the newspaper of publishing a story “rife with inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and omissions” based on allegations made by his It Ends With Us co-star, Blake Lively.
Baldoni asserts that the article relied on Lively’s “self-serving narrative” and failed to account for evidence that contradicted her claims.
The controversy stems from Lively’s December complaint to California’s Civil Rights Department, accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation.
In the complaint, Lively alleged that after raising concerns about harassment during the production of It Ends With Us, Baldoni and his team retaliated by leaking damaging stories to tarnish her reputation.
The allegations were first reported in The New York Times under the headline, “’We Can Bury Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.”
The article, published on December 21, included details from Lively’s Civil Rights Department complaint, despite such filings typically being confidential.
Following the article’s publication, Baldoni was dropped by his talent agency, WME, which also represents Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds.
Meanwhile, Lively received widespread support from Hollywood, including a statement from SAG-AFTRA and backing from Sony, the studio behind the film.
In response, Baldoni’s lawsuit claims Lively fabricated the accusations to gain control over the film and rehabilitate her public image after a series of public missteps.
The suit describes her actions as “strategic and manipulative,” alleging, “Lively’s cynical abuse of sexual harassment allegations to assert unilateral control over every aspect of the production was both strategic and manipulative… her tactics here are unconscionable.”
Baldoni also accuses The New York Times of failing to meet journalistic standards, stating the publication “relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative, lifting it nearly verbatim while disregarding an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.”
In a statement to CNN, a Times spokesperson said, “The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead. Our story was meticulously and responsibly reported. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including the text messages and emails that we quote accurately and at length in the article.”
The spokesperson added that Baldoni and his representatives have yet to identify any factual errors in the article.
Lively’s legal team remains resolute, stating, “Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything” about her claims. Her attorneys also filed a federal complaint on Tuesday, emphasizing their readiness to address Baldoni’s allegations in court.
Baldoni’s libel suit, filed by attorney Bryan Freedman, includes claims on behalf of ten plaintiffs, including Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios, his producing partner Jamey Heath (also accused by Lively of harassment), and his publicists Jennifer Abel and Melissa Nathan.
The dispute has brought scrutiny to Lively’s allegations, including a claim that Baldoni and Heath entered her makeup trailer uninvited while she was undressed and breastfeeding. Baldoni’s lawsuit refutes this, providing a text allegedly from Lively inviting him into her trailer to work on lines, reading, “I’m just pumping in my trailer if you wanna work out our lines.”
The lawsuit also alleges Lively orchestrated a smear campaign, citing evidence of manipulated text messages presented in her complaint.
Freedman claims the messages were intentionally doctored to support her narrative.
Amid the legal battle, Baldoni’s former publicist, Stephanie Jones, filed a separate lawsuit, alleging that text messages central to the controversy were obtained from the phone of her former employee, Jennifer Abel—Baldoni’s current publicist.
Freedman described the situation as a “vicious smear campaign” orchestrated by Lively, her team, and The New York Times. “They pre-determined the outcome of their story and aided and abetted their own devastating PR smear campaign designed to revitalize Lively’s self-induced floundering public image,” Freedman stated.
As the conflict unfolds, both sides remain entrenched in their positions, each vowing to present their evidence in court.
