Justin Baldoni Sues New York Times for $250 Million Over Blake Lively Harassment Story

Justin Baldoni and nine other plantiffs are suing the New York Times for allegedly orchestrating a “strategic and manipulative” campaign centered on his It Ends With Us costar, Blake Lively.

Justin Baldoni is taking legal action.

Days after his It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively filed a complaint accusing him of sexual harassment and participating in a smear campaign against her,

the actor—among a group of 10 plaintiffs—has filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times for their Dec. 21 report, which centered around Lively’s allegations.

Bryan Freedman, the attorney who filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court Dec. 31 on behalf of the plaintiffs,

told E! News in a statement that the NYT “cowered to the wants and whims of two powerful ‘untouchable’ Hollywood elites, disregarding journalistic

practices and ethics once befitting of the revered publication by using doctored and manipulated texts and intentionally omitting texts which dispute their chosen PR narrative.”

In response, the NYT said in a statement, “We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”

“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead,” the statement read. “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.”

While Lively’s initial complaint—which listed Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer,

colleague Jamey Heath, publicist Jennifer Abel and “crisis communications specialist” Melissa Nathan, among others, as defendants—was filed with the California Civil Rights Department,

Lively’s legal team also filed a formal lawsuit against the parties in the Southern District of New York on Dec. 31.

In response to the lawsuit against the NYT, attorneys for Lively told E! News,

“Nothing in this lawsuit changes anything about the claims advanced in Ms. Lively’s California Civil Rights Department Complaint, nor her federal complaint, filed earlier today.”

“While we will not litigate this matter in the press, we do encourage people to read Ms. Lively’s complaint in its entirety,” the statement concluded.

“We look forward to addressing each and every one of Wayfarer’s allegations in court.”

Freedman, a lawyer for Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, previously denied Lively’s complaint allegations, calling it “another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation.”

“These claims are completely false,” he continued, “outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”

In both of the Gossip Girl alum’s complaints—California Civil Rights Department complaint and her federal complaint—she detailed a meeting that took place in January 2024 to address “the hostile work environment that had nearly derailed production.”

According to the documents, obtained by E! News, parties present at the meeting, including Lively, husband Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni, as well as Wayfarer exec and producer Heath, among others, “discussed in detail the inappropriate conduct that Ms. Lively, her employees and other cast and crew experienced at the hands of Mr. Baldoni and Mr. Heath.”

Among those details, per the complaint, were “showing nude videos or images of women, including producer’s wife” to Lively or her employees, no more “mention of Mr. Baldoni’s or

Mr. Heath’s previous ‘pornography addiction'” or mentioning actress’ late father Ernie Lively.

As a result of the discussion, all parties present agreed that the “conduct would cease.” And filming was able to be completed the following month.