In a dramatic legal battle, Justin Baldoni has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against The New York Times, accusing the newspaper of misreporting and omitting crucial details in their coverage of Blake Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment on the set of their film It Ends with Us.
The controversy began when Lively, 37, filed a lawsuit in New York earlier this week, accusing Baldoni, 40, of sexually harassing her on set and orchestrating a campaign to ruin her reputation. The actress’s lawsuit alleges that Baldoni entered her trailer unannounced while she was breastfeeding, and that his actions were part of a larger, retaliatory scheme to silence her after she reported instances of harassment.
In a separate legal move, Baldoni has turned his focus on The New York Times, which first reported on Lively’s claims. The director is accusing the paper of libel and fraud, claiming that it worked in tandem with Lively’s team to “destroy” his reputation. Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, argues that the newspaper used “cherry-picked” text messages to craft a narrative favorable to Lively, without giving Baldoni enough time to respond to the explosive allegations.
In his lawsuit, Baldoni contends that The New York Times deliberately omitted key information to support Lively’s version of events. However, the newspaper has vehemently denied these allegations, with a spokesperson stating that the article was “meticulously and responsibly reported,” and based on a thorough review of original documents, including text messages and emails.
The allegations at the heart of the lawsuits stem from the filming of It Ends with Us, a movie adapted from Colleen Hoover’s novel about domestic violence and emotional abuse. While Lively and Baldoni both starred in the film, the legal disputes now center around their interactions on set, accusations of harassment, and how public relations strategies influenced the portrayal of the events.
According to the lawsuit filed by Lively, she claims that Baldoni, along with the film’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, coordinated a “retaliatory campaign” against her after she raised concerns about the harassment. In December, Lively filed a civil rights complaint, alleging that the retaliatory actions, including a public smear campaign, had caused her significant emotional distress and loss of income.
Baldoni, who also serves as the director of It Ends with Us, strongly denies the allegations and has stated that Lively invited him to her trailer. His legal team further alleges that the media coverage of Lively’s claims was biased and misleading, calling the incident a “vicious smear campaign” to improve Lively’s public image, which had been in decline due to previous controversies.
The New York Times has maintained its position, asserting that its reporting was factual and substantiated by a wide array of evidence. In response to Baldoni’s lawsuit, the newspaper stated that it stands by the article, noting that it accurately reflected the events based on the documents available to them.
The legal conflict extends beyond just Lively and Baldoni. Both Lively’s lawsuit and Baldoni’s counterclaim involve multiple defendants, including crisis communications expert Melissa Nathan, who is accused of playing a role in orchestrating the alleged smear campaign.
