Legal Action Filed by Baldoni, Wayfarer, and Associates Against The New York Times on December 31, 2024
On December 31, 2024, a significant legal battle commenced as Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace, and Street Relations initiated a staggering $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times.
The lawsuit, which was obtained by E!, alleges serious claims including libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied-in-fact contract. This action stems from an article published by The New York Times, which accused the plaintiffs of engaging in a retaliatory smear campaign against actress Blake Lively. This smear campaign reportedly took place after Lively raised concerns regarding alleged misconduct on the set of a project.
The plaintiffs firmly asserted that the article was “false” and primarily based on Lively’s complaint filed with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (CRD). They contended that the messages referenced in the article and complaint were misrepresented and taken out of context, thus distorting the truth of the situation.
According to the lawsuit documents, “Despite its claim to have ‘reviewed these along with other documents[,]’ the Times relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative,” indicating that the newspaper reproduced Lively’s statements nearly verbatim, while neglecting a wealth of evidence that contradicted her allegations and shed light on her actual motives.
The plaintiffs further argued that it was, in fact, Lively who orchestrated a calculated smear campaign against them, a claim that Lively has categorically denied.
In response to the lawsuit, The New York Times stated its intention to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.” A spokesperson for the newspaper emphasized, “The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts where they lead.” They asserted that their article was conducted with meticulous care and responsibility, relying on a comprehensive review of thousands of pages of original documents. This includes the text messages and emails that were accurately quoted and extensively referenced in their reporting.
