Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios was ordered to pay The New York Times more than $171,000 in damages after a judge dismissed its defamation lawsuit against the publication over its bombshell report on Blake Lively’s sexual harassment and smear campaign allegations related to It Ends With Us.
“We’re delighted by the court’s decision,” a spokesperson for The New York Times said in a statement. “The anti-SLAPP statute is designed to combat exactly these kinds of meritless suits brought to silence the press.”
A rep for Wayfarer Studios did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to court documents reviewed by Entertainment Weekly, New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits awarded The New York Times $171,616.20 after granting summary judgment.
The decision stems from Wayfarer Studios’ lawsuit over The New York Times’ December 2024 investigation, which broke the news of Lively’s original sexual harassment complaint against Baldoni. The publication’s story was based on a pre-lawsuit, California Civil Rights Department filing from Lively against the It Ends With Us director.
In response, Baldoni — and nine other plaintiffs, including publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel — sued the newspaper for libel and false light invasion of privacy, among other claims, over the article, and sought $250 million in damages. The suit was ultimately dismissed.
After defeating the defamation claims, The New York Times filed a lawsuit in New York to recover more than $150,000 in legal fees from Wayfarer Studios, defending itself under the state’s anti-SLAPP law.
In May, Lively and Baldoni settled their legal battle tied to their film, It Ends With Us, just weeks before it was scheduled to head to trial. As part of the settlement, Lively received zero compensation, but Baldoni was ordered by a judge to pay the actress’ legal fees, which totaled $8 million.
