Justin Baldoni, director and co-star of the film “It Ends With Us,” and his publicists have sued The New York Times for libel over an article alleging that he orchestrated a smear campaign against actress Blake Lively.
The lawsuit claims that The Times defamed Baldoni, his production company, and their public relations team by accepting a “self-serving narrative” from Lively about alleged misconduct during the film’s shooting. It asserts that the Dec. 21 article omitted crucial information contradicting Lively’s version of events.
Baldoni’s lawyers accuse Lively of manipulating news coverage and social media to harm his reputation after she complained about misconduct on set. They also claim that Lively’s publicist, Melissa Nathan, worked with others to plant negative stories against Baldoni.
The Times has denied the allegations, stating that its story was based on thousands of pages of original documents, including text messages and emails, which they accurately quoted in their article.
Lively had filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department alleging sexual harassment and retaliation by Mr. Baldoni and his business partner, Jamey Heath, among others. The studio agreed to install safety measures on set and signed a side letter not to retaliate against Lively.
In response to The Times’ story, William Morris Endeavor dropped Mr. Baldoni as a client, and other supporters of Lively have publicly distanced themselves from the director.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/01/us/justin-baldoni-blake-lively-it-ends-with-us-new-york-times-lawsuit.html