Justin Baldoni‘s Wayfarer Studios was issued an order Monday by a New York court to pay more than $171,000 in damages to The New York Times, in the wake of a defamation lawsuit it lost linked to the paper’s reporting on the troubled production of It Ends with Us.
New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits submitted a ruling in favor of the newspaper in the amount of $171,616.20, following a summary judgment citing anti-SLAPP statutes, in legal documents reviewed by The Daily Mail.
Wayfarer Studios had sued the newspaper over a December 2024 story titled We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine.
In the story, the film’s star Blake Lively, 38, accused Baldoni, 42, and associates of sexual harassment and retaliation amid production of It Ends with Us.
‘We’re delighted by the court’s decision,’ The New York Times told the Daily Mail on Monday in a statement in response to the ruling. ‘The anti-SLAPP statute is designed to combat exactly these kinds of meritless suits brought to silence the press.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Wayfarer for further comment on the story.
Justin Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios was issued an order Monday by a New York court to pay more than $171,000 in damages to the New York Times, in the wake of a defamation lawsuit it lost linked to the paper’s reporting on the troubled production of It Ends with Us. Pictured in NYC in 2026
New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits issued a ruling in favor of the newspaper in the amount of $171,616.20, following a summary judgment citing anti-SLAPP statutes, in legal documents reviewed by The Daily Mail
The newspaper had been folded in as a defendant in a January 2025 suit filed by Wayfarer claiming that its story had defamed Baldoni and the company.
Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice in a June 2025 ruling, after which the paper filed a suit in New York Supreme Court to recoup money it spent on its legal defense, citing anti-SLAPP law.
Judge Lebovits said in the ruling issued on Monday that allegations made by Baldoni’s production company were short on ‘a substantial basis in fact and law,’ as it involved ‘matters of public interest.’
The judge wrote: ‘The underlying federal action here arose from publicly posted media coverage … about a legal proceeding brought by a prominent actress.’
Judge Lebovits noted that ‘this court agrees with NYT Co. that it has shown as a matter of law that it is entitled to summary judgment on liability on its anti-SLAPP claim.’
Also nixed was Wayfarer’s ask to put the case on hold due to a potential appeal, as the judge said it had been invalidated because of an appeal waiver included in the case’s settlement this past May.
In Monday’s ruling, the judge lessened the total sum awarded to the paper, which had requested $181,622.70 in legal fees, citing a portion that was invalid to award following the federal case.
In late 2024, Lively filed the initial suit against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios linked to the making of the romantic drama. Baldoni subsequently filed a countersuit against Lively, her spouse Ryan Reynolds, their representative Leslie Sloane and the paper. All parties denied the claims made.
Baldoni and Lively came to a settlement this past May, dismissing the rest of the lawsuit with prejudice prior to a trial date.
Lively seen in NYC May 19, the day after the start date of her trial with Baldoni before settling
It Ends with Us earned $148 million in domestic box office and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars
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It Ends with Us earned $148 million in domestic box office and $350 million globally – but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars.
The motion picture, which also starred Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, was based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover. The storyline of the film centered around a toxic relationship between Lily Bloom (played by Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
According to a logline for the film, Lily ‘overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life,’ as ‘a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.’
That led to her high-profile role on the TV show Gossip Girl, which she starred on from 2007-2012, playing lead character Serena van der Woodsen. She has also appeared in movies such as 2010’s The Town, 2016’s The Shallows, 2018’s A Simple Favor and 2020’s The Rhythm Section.
Prior to It Ends with Us, Baldoni was best known for playing the role of Rafael Solano on the TV show Jane the Virgin from 2014–2019.
He also has directed films including 2019’s Five Feet Apart and 2020’s Clouds, and penned the 2021 book Man Enough, which tackled misconceptions of contemporary masculinity.
