NYT moves to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s ‘insufficient’ $250M defamation case | Hollywood
The New York Times has formally requested a federal judge to dismiss Justin Baldoni’s $250 million defamation lawsuit, according to Variety. The lawsuit stems from the Times’ December 21 article, “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which revealed that actress Blake Lively had filed a civil rights complaint against Baldoni, her It Ends With Us co-star and director. Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively on the sets of It Ends With Us NYT argues Baldoni’s lawsuit lacks merit Baldoni earlier alleged that the Times collaborated with Lively and her PR team to publish the report, which detailed claims that he and his representatives orchestrated a campaign to damage Lively’s reputation in retaliation for her raising concerns about his on-set behaviour. In its court filing, the Times argues that Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer, are attempting to pull the newspaper into their ongoing dispute with Lively. The publication asserts that it simply engaged in legitimate newsgathering and reporting on the conflict. The filing further states that Baldoni’s lawsuit presents a “one-sided tale” designed for …
