December 31, 2024: Baldoni, Wayfarer and others sue The New York Times
Baldoni, Wayfarer, Heath, Sarowitz, Nathan, TAG, Abel, RWA Communications, Wallace and Street Relations filed a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times on December 31st.
The lawsuit, obtained by E!, accuses The New York Times of defamation, false and minor invasion of privacy, promise fraud, and breach of implied contract for an article about a retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly waged against Lively after she raised concerns about alleged misconduct on set.
The plaintiffs denied the charges, saying the report was “false” and based on Lively’s CRD complaint, and argued that messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context.
“Despite the Times’ claims that it ‘reviewed these documents along with other documents,’ the Times relies almost entirely on Ms. Lively’s unverified and self-serving narrative, holding it up almost verbatim while ignoring the wealth of evidence that contradicts her claims and exposes her true motives,” the complaint states.
They argued that “it was Lively, not Plaintiff, who waged a calculated smear campaign.” She denied this.
The New York Times said it intends to “vigorously defend the lawsuit.”
“The role of independent news organizations is to follow the facts as they lead,” he told E! “Our story was reported with care and responsibility. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including text messages and emails cited accurately and in detail in the story.”
