Justin Baldoni, known for his role in the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel It Ends With Us, has filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times.

It Ends with Us Lawsuit

The lawsuit stems from the newspaper's article that reported allegations of sexual harassment made by Baldoni's co-star, Blake Lively.

In his filing, Baldoni claimed the allegations were part of a broader negative PR campaign orchestrated by Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, to tarnish his reputation and gain control over the production.

The libel suit, filed on Tuesday, criticized The New York Times for relying “almost entirely” on what Baldoni’s attorneys described as “Lively's unverified and self-serving narrative.”

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According to the lawsuit, the December 21 article dismissed “an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motives.” Screenshots of text messages were included as evidence to refute the accusations detailed in the article.

The NYT's Defense

The headline of the Times story in question, “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” portrayed Baldoni as orchestrating a campaign against Lively after she accused him of misconduct on the set of It Ends With Us.

A spokesperson for The New York Times defended the article, stating that it was “meticulously and responsibly reported” based on thousands of pages of original documents, including text messages and emails, which were “accurately and at length” quoted in the piece.

“We published their full statement in response to the allegations in the article as well,” the spokesperson said. “We plan to vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”

Lively’s Response

Blake Lively, while not named as a defendant in Baldoni’s lawsuit, issued a statement through her representative asserting that “nothing in the lawsuit changes anything” about her allegations.

The representative referenced complaints filed with the California Civil Rights Department and in federal court earlier this week.

The lawsuit names additional plaintiffs, including Baldoni’s publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel and producers Jamey Heath and Steve Sarowitz. Baldoni and his co-plaintiffs are seeking damages of at least $250 million, citing severe reputational harm.

“This lawsuit seeks to hold the Times accountable for its role in this defamation campaign, but plaintiffs are not done,” Baldoni’s legal team stated. “There are other bad actors involved, and make no mistake — this will not be the last lawsuit.”