Baldoni's Wayfarer ordered to pay NYT $171,616.20 in defamation case
Justin Baldoni's Wayfarer Studios has been told to pay The New York Times $171,616.20 after losing a defamation lawsuit.
The case started when Wayfarer challenged a December 2024 The New York Times article that revealed Blake Lively's claims of sexual harassment and retaliation during the filming of It Ends With Us.
New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits made the ruling on July 27, citing New York's anti-SLAPP law, which is meant to protect free speech around public issues.
Lively and Baldoni settled, no appeal
A federal judge threw out Wayfarer's defamation claims against The New York Times back in June 2025.
Afterward, The New York Times asked for legal fees, and Justice Lebovits mostly agreed, just trimming a bit off for costs that couldn't be recovered.
By May 2026, Lively, Baldoni, and others settled all remaining disputes and agreed not to appeal, officially closing this chapter between Wayfarer Studios and The New York Times.