Justin Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios, has been ordered to pay The New York Times more than USD 171,000 in damages after its defamation lawsuit against the newspaper was dismissed.
Justin Baldoni and production company ordered to pay The New York Times
According to a ruling issued on Monday, July 27, New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits awarded The New York Times USD 171,616.20 after granting ‘summary judgment’ in the newspaper’s favour under New York’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) law. The newspaper had originally sought an estimated USD 181,622.70 in attorney’s fees. However, Justice Lebovits reduced the amount after determining that some of the legal work carried out after the dismissal of the case was ‘not recoverable’.
About the court ruling
As per People, Justice Lebovits ruled, “The underlying federal action here arose from publicly posted media coverage … about a legal proceeding brought by a prominent actress.” The judge concluded that the newspaper’s reporting concerned “matters of public interest.”Justice Lebovits also rejected Wayfarer Studios’ request to pause the state case while awaiting a potential appeal. The judge noted that the parties’ May 2026 settlement of the underlying federal litigation included a waiver of appellate rights, rendering the request moot.
The New York Times responds
Following the latest ruling, The New York Times said in a statement to People, “We’re delighted by the court’s decision. The anti-SLAPP statute is designed to combat exactly these kinds of meritless suits brought to silence the press.”
Justin Baldoni’s ‘It Ends With Us’ lawsuit
This update comes months after Wayfarer Studios sued The New York Times over their December 2024 investigation, titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which detailed Blake Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation against Baldoni and others associated with the production of ‘It Ends With Us’.As previously reported, in Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios’ federal lawsuit in January 2025, they alleged that the newspaper had defamed it through its reporting. However, in June 2025, US District Judge Lewis J Liman dismissed all claims against the newspaper with prejudice, effectively preventing the claims from being refiled.
