Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios has been ordered to pay The New York Times $171,616.20 in damages following its failed defamation suit.
On Monday, New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits awarded The Times its win after Baldoni’s production company sued for defamation following the organization’s December 2024 report on the working conditions on “It Ends With Us.” The article detailed Blake Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation against her director and co-star.
In January 2025, The New York Times was added to the Wayfarer defamation lawsuit, but by June of the same year, U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman had dismissed all claims. That led the organization to file its own lawsuit to recoup its initial legal fees through the anti-SLAPP statute.
“We’re delighted by the court’s decision,” a New York Times spokesperson told TheWrap on Monday. “The anti-SLAPP statute is designed to combat exactly these kinds of meritless suits brought to silence the press.”
Baldoni and Lively reached a settlement in May, just two weeks before their case was set to go to trial. Judge Liman then ruled that Lively was entitled to compensation for her defense costs thanks to the Protecting Survivors From Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act (aka Section 47.1), a 2023 California law designed to protect sexual harassment, abuse and discrimination victims from retaliatory defamation lawsuits.
“The end product – the movie ‘It Ends With Us’ – is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors – and all survivors – is a goal that we stand behind. We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard,” read their joint statement in May. “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
Despite the settlement, in June, Lively filed a memorandum seeking more than $8 million in attorneys’ fees and other legal costs from Baldoni and Wayfarer.
Elsewhere, Wayfarer’s cross-motion for a stay was also denied in Monday’s ruling. TheWrap has reached out to Baldoni’s team for further comment.
