Justin Baldoni Files $250M Lawsuit Against NYT, Accuses Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds of "Bullying"

The legal battle between It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni and co-star Blake Lively has escalated, with Baldoni filing a $250 million lawsuit against The New York Times. According to PEOPLE, Baldoni’s 87-page complaint, filed on New Year’s Eve, alleges "libel, false light invasion of privacy, promissory fraud, and breach of implied in-fact contract."

The lawsuit targets a Times article titled “‘We Can Buy Anyone’: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” published after Lively filed her initial complaint against Baldoni. The director, alongside nine plaintiffs including his production company, Wayfarer Studios, claims the piece is defamatory and part of a wider campaign against him.

The suit takes a direct aim at Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, alleging a deliberate effort to tarnish Baldoni’s reputation. Baldoni claims that the Hollywood couple orchestrated a “bullying” campaign, including an alleged confrontation at the pair's New York penthouse on January 4, 2024.

Describing the meeting as “traumatic,” Baldoni alleges Reynolds "aggressively" accused him of offences, including “fat shaming” Lively. "I had never been spoken to like that in my life," Baldoni states in the complaint, which details how the meeting blindsided producers and a Sony representative, who had gathered to discuss filming plans.

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Baldoni's filing claims Reynolds demanded an apology, which Baldoni refused, asserting the accusations were “mischaracterised and demonstrably false.” The confrontation allegedly escalated, leaving attendees “in shock.”

The suit further alleges Lively engaged in a “hostile takeover” of the project, with Baldoni presenting text messages, emails, and WhatsApp evidence to support his claims. The filing also states that Lively’s actions led to Baldoni attending the red carpet alone and accuses the couple of leveraging their influence to damage his reputation and obstruct his participation in the film’s premiere.

Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, has promised additional lawsuits in the coming days, intensifying the fallout surrounding the contentious It Ends With Us production.