Judge in Justin Baldoni libel lawsuit says New York Times has 'strong' case for dismissal

With a judge's latest ruling, The New York Times is moving closer to a dismissal from Justin Baldoni's $250 million defamation lawsuit over the newspaper's coverage of Blake Lively's sexual harassment and smear campaign accusations.

In an order issued Tuesday and obtained by USA TODAY Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Liman approved the Times' motion for a stay of discovery — evidence-gathering among the case's parties — pending his review of the company's motion to be dismissed as a defendant in the case.

"The NY Times's motion presents 'substantial grounds for dismissal' and the NY Times has made a strong showing that its motion to dismiss is likely to succeed on the merits," Liman wrote.

"We appreciate the court's decision today, which recognizes the important First Amendment values at stake," Times spokesperson Danielle Rhoades Ha said in a statement to Reuters. "The court has stopped Mr. Baldoni from burdening The Times with discovery requests in a case that should never have been brought."

USA TODAY has reached out to Baldoni's attorney for comment.

In its dismissal motion last week, the Times said it merely engaged in newsgathering with its publication of the viral article, adding that plaintiffs did not show the outlet acted with malice. The newspaper also said the sole alleged defamatory statement in the article — that the plaintiffs orchestrated a "smear campaign" in retaliation for Lively complaining about sexual harassment — was protected opinion.

In December 2024, Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios — which produced the movie "It Ends with Us" — and the company's producers and public relations personnel sued the Times for libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud and breach of implied-in-fact contract.

The reporting at the center of the case is the Dec. 21, 2024, article "'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine," which detailed Lively's allegations outlined in a legal complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department. Lively went on to sue Baldoni in New York federal court on the same day as Baldoni's lawsuit. The cases have since been consolidated into one case in the Southern District of New York.

While Lively claims Baldoni — along with Wayfarer Studios CEO Jamey Heath — engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct during the filming of "It Ends with Us" as well as retaliation, her director and co-star has denied all of her allegations. Baldoni and his production company have also accused Lively of launching her own "smear campaign" against him.

Contributing: Jonathan Stempel, Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Justin Baldoni libel lawsuit: New York Times moves closer to dismissal