Blake Lively vs. Justin Baldoni: NY Times Scores a Legal Win as Judge Weighs Dismissal!

The New York Times has emerged victorious in a key legal battle in the ongoing dispute between Blake Lively and It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni. A federal judge has granted the paper’s request for a stay of discovery, halting Baldoni’s legal team from investigating the newspaper’s internal operations as part of a wider $400 million lawsuit. The ruling from Judge Lewis J. Liman on Tuesday marks a significant development in a complicated legal saga that centers around Lively’s sexual harassment and retaliation allegations, originally filed with the California Civil Rights Department in December.

The judge’s decision to pause discovery was seen as a blow to Baldoni’s side. In his ruling, Judge Liman stated that the Wayfarer Parties—Baldoni, his Wayfarer Studios, its CEO Steve Sorowitz, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel—were unlikely to be unfairly prejudiced by the stay while the court considers the New York Times’ motion to be dismissed from the case. The judge also emphasized that the motion to dismiss would be addressed promptly after it is fully submitted, suggesting that Baldoni’s legal team had the option to expedite their opposition.

This lawsuit stems from Lively’s sexual harassment allegations against Baldoni, which were detailed in a December 21 article by the New York Times. The article included text messages related to the accusations, pulling the newspaper into the legal drama. Baldoni responded by launching his own $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively, Ryan Reynolds, and their PR chief, Leslie Sloane. While Baldoni initially filed a $250 million lawsuit in L.A. Superior Court on New Year’s Eve, the case has since evolved, with the New York Times added as a defendant in February.

Amidst the legal filings and back-and-forth between the parties, the New York Times has maintained that its journalists acted in accordance with journalistic standards, asserting that their reporting on the matter was fair and transparent. In response to Baldoni’s legal actions, the paper’s attorneys filed a motion in February to have the newspaper removed from the case, arguing that the Times had no place in the dispute.

While Baldoni’s team argued that the New York Times should remain involved in the lawsuit, Judge Liman sided with the paper, denying Baldoni’s request to continue discovery proceedings. The judge noted that the Times had filed its motion within the required timeframe and that the discovery process should be paused while the court decides the motion to dismiss.

A spokesperson for the New York Times expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, emphasizing the importance of First Amendment protections. “We appreciate the court’s decision today, which recognizes the important First Amendment values at stake here,” the spokesperson said in a statement to Deadline. “The court has stopped Mr. Baldoni from burdening The Times with discovery requests in a case that should never have been brought.”

As the legal battle continues, Lively is expected to attend the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, on March 7 for the debut of Another Simple Favor, a sequel to her 2018 film A Simple Favor, directed by Paul Feig and co-starring Anna Kendrick. Despite the ongoing legal drama, it’s unlikely that Lively will address the case at the event, though the media will likely be eager to ask.

With the case unlikely to go to trial until March 29, 2026, there is still plenty of time for further developments. As of now, there are no significant court sessions scheduled, but the legal team for the New York Times will likely continue to push for the case’s dismissal, confident in the support of the court’s recent decision.

As this multi-faceted legal battle unfolds, both the public and the media continue to keep a close eye on the outcome.