Justin Baldoni's production house ordered to pay $171K to press: Here is why
- By Sarah Brohi -
- Jul 28, 2026
Justin Baldoni’s production company was ordered to pay more than $171,000 to The New York Times after losing its defamation lawsuit against the newspaper.
On July 27, New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits ruled that Wayfarer Studios must pay $171,616.20 in legal costs under New York’s anti-SLAPP law, which protects reporting on matters of public interest.
The dispute began after The New York Times published a December 2024 investigation examining Blake Lively’s allegations of sexual harassment and workplace retaliation connected to the filming of It Ends With Us.
Wayfarer Studios later sued the newspaper for defamation, claiming the report was inaccurate. However, a federal judge dismissed all claims against The New York Times in June 2025. After that ruling, the newspaper filed a separate case seeking to recover the legal fees it spent defending itself.
In his decision, Justice Lebovits noted that the lawsuit targeted reporting on an issue of public interest and found that Wayfarer’s claims lacked “a substantial basis in fact and law.” The judge also rejected Wayfarer’s request to delay the case while considering an appeal, noting that both sides had already agreed to waive their appeal rights as part of a May 2026 settlement.
Although The New York Times asked for more than $181,000 in legal fees, the judge reduced the amount after determining that some of the work performed after the federal case ended could not be recovered.
The legal battle began after Lively sued Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and others in December 2024 over alleged sexual harassment and retaliation during the production of It Ends with Us. Baldoni denied the allegations and filed countersuits against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times, but those claims were later dismissed.
The case came to an end in May 2026 when both sides agreed to settle their remaining claims, dismiss the lawsuits with prejudice and give up the right to appeal.