Latest news with #HollywoodSmear
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why a judge dismissed Justin Baldoni's lawsuit against Blake Lively and The New York Times
A federal judge dismissed actor Justin Baldoni's extortion and defamation claims he brought against actress Blake Lively, The New York Times and others, while still giving Baldoni a chance to pursue limited contract-related claims in the legal feud between the 'It Ends With Us' co-stars. Baldoni's legal complaint came in January after Lively brought her own in December alleging sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Her suit is still pending. Dismissing Baldoni's claims in a 132-page opinion Monday, U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in New York summarized them in two broad categories: First, that Lively, helped by actor Ryan Reynolds (Lively's husband) and publicist Leslie Sloane, threatened to refuse to promote the film, which Baldoni directed, and to attack him in the press if she didn't get control and credit. And second, that Lively, Sloane, Reynolds and the Times spread a false narrative that Baldoni committed sexual misconduct against Lively and engaged in a smear campaign against her. Rejecting the first category, Liman said Baldoni failed to adequately allege that Lively's threats were extortion rather than just bargaining over working conditions. Rejecting the second category, Liman said Baldoni failed to adequately allege any false statements made to the Times, other than statements made by Lively in a complaint she filed with the California Civil Rights Department, which Liman said were legally privileged. The Times published a December story headlined, ''We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,' citing Lively's complaint. Liman said Baldoni has until June 23 to file an amended complaint limited to certain contract-related claims. Subscribe to the Deadline: Legal Newsletter for expert analysis on the top legal stories of the week, including updates from the Supreme Court and developments in the Trump administration's legal cases. This article was originally published on
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- GMA Network
Judge dismisses Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively
NEW YORK - A U.S. judge on Monday dismissed actor Justin Baldoni's $400 million defamation lawsuit against actress Blake Lively, who had accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her while filming the 2024 movie "It Ends With Us." U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan said Lively's claims to a California state agency about Baldoni's alleged harassment during the filming were privileged, and shielded from the defamation claim by Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios. In a 132-page decision, Liman also dismissed Baldoni's related $250 million lawsuit against the New York Times NYT.N. The judge said Baldoni can try to file a much narrower lawsuit against Lively focused on contractual issues. Lawyers for Baldoni did not immediately respond to requests for comment. "Today's opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively," her lawyers Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said in a joint statement. "As we have said from day one, this $400 million lawsuit was a sham." The Times had no immediate comment. Baldoni's lawsuit was in response to Lively's own lawsuit in Manhattan federal court over the alleged harassment. She still seeks unspecified triple and punitive damages in that case, and a March 2026 trial remains scheduled. Lively alleges vengeance The feud began publicly in December when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department (CRD) about Baldoni, followed by her lawsuit. In response, Baldoni's countersuit accused Lively, her husband and actor Ryan Reynolds, Lively's publicist Leslie Sloane, the Times and others of trying to smear him. Baldoni said Lively tried to effectively hijack "It Ends With Us," which he directed and whose themes included domestic violence, and then blame him when her "disastrous" promotional approach prompted an online backlash against her. His case against the Times focused on its December 21, 2024 article about them, "'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine." Lively had called Baldoni's lawsuit a "vengeful" attempt to weaponize the federal courts, and pursue "sinister campaign to bury and destroy" her for speaking out. The Times, meanwhile, said it shouldn't be punished merely for newsgathering, and said a statement in the article that Baldoni led a "smear campaign" in retaliation for Lively's complaints was protected opinion. Judge finds defamation claim implausible In his decision, Liman said Baldoni alleged at most that Lively communicated the privileged CRD complaint to the Times, while her husband and publicist made what they thought were true statements about Baldoni's sexual harassment. "The Wayfarer Parties' conclusory allegations that the Lively, Reynolds, and Sloane engaged in a conspiracy to defame the Wayfarer Parties by disseminating knowingly false statements cannot substitute for factual allegations supporting a plausible inference that this occurred," the judge wrote. Liman also said that even if the Wayfarer parties laid the groundwork for a negative publicity campaign but never put it into operation, the Times would not have known. "Freedoms of expression require breathing space, and a publisher must be permitted to publish the story that it believes in good faith to be before it," Liman wrote. "It Ends With Us" garnered mixed reviews, but grossed more than $351 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. — Reuters
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Harvey Weinstein Inserts Himself Into Blake Lively Drama From Behind Bars
In a development that's already raising eyebrows across Hollywood, has entered the conversation around 's high-profile legal battle with . From behind bars, Harvey Weinstein is offering his support to the embattled actor-director while likening Baldoni's situation to his own. The convicted rapist, currently serving over a decade in prison for multiple sex crimes, told TMZ on Wednesday that he believes Baldoni has been unfairly targeted by The New York Times. The outlet's December 2024 exposé, ''We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,' included partial messages from Baldoni's PR team that appeared to suggest they could 'bury anyone," including Lively, in what was portrayed as a calculated smear campaign. Baldoni and his team fired back with a $250 million libel lawsuit against the Times, accusing the publication of misrepresenting private messages, which they allege were 'cherry-picked' and manipulated to fit a false narrative. 'Watching Justin Baldoni take legal action against the New York Times and its reporters, accusing them of manipulating communications and ignoring evidence that countered Ms. Lively's claims, hit me hard,' Weinstein said. 'It brought back everything I experienced when the Times reported on me in 2017. They did the same thing: cherry-picked what fit their story and ignored critical context and facts that could have challenged the narrative.' Weinstein's reference points directly to the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation that exposed decades of sexual abuse allegations against him, reporting that helped ignite the #MeToo movement. In response to Weinstein's latest statements, The New York Times defended the integrity of its reporting. 'Our comprehensive investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against Mr. Weinstein was rigorously reported over many months and based on on-the-record interviews, legal settlements paid to accusers and other documents,' spokesperson Danielle Rhoades said. 'None of the facts in our coverage are in dispute. Mr. Weinstein acknowledged his misconduct in a statement that was published in full in The Times," Rhoades added. "He's since been criminally convicted of rape and sexual assault.' Weinstein's 2020 New York conviction was overturned in 2024, but a retrial is set for April 15. He is also appealing a separate 16-year sentence from his 2023 California conviction for forcible rape and other charges. 'I should have stood up and fought back then. I should have had the courage to speak out against the way the truth was twisted. That failure still haunts me,' Weinstein said on Wednesday. He also added that he will be 'watching Baldoni and Lively's case closely,' suggesting that the outcome 'matters to anyone who's ever been on the receiving end of a media takedown.' Weinstein's public endorsement of Baldoni comes as a surprise to many, considering his past connection to both Lively and her inner circle. The two were once photographed together at public events, and in 2014, Page Six reported that Weinstein shared the same publicist as Lively, Leslie Sloane. Sources at the time claimed Weinstein and MSG executive Jim Dolan financially backed Sloane's transition into founding her own publicity firm, Vision PR. Weinstein was even quoted saying, 'Leslie's next move is going to rock the industry.' But a rep for Sloane now disputes any suggestion of a working relationship with the disgraced producer. 'Leslie Sloane never represented Harvey Weinstein,' the spokesperson told Page Six. 'In 2014, after Sloane left BWR, she and Weinstein engaged in preliminary discussions concerning a potential working relationship with their companies but that never came to fruition.' The rep also dismissed ongoing online speculation, stating, 'Contrary to false rumors being spread online, Sloane has never worked to silence victims of sexual abuse in any way and indeed has actively supported victims of sexual abuse.' Sloane, along with clients Lively and , is currently named as a co-defendant in Baldoni's $400 million defamation and extortion lawsuit, which stems from accusations that the "Gossip Girl" actress made against Baldoni. The publicist has filed a motion to be dismissed from the suit, calling it a retaliatory attempt 'to discredit and blame his victims and punish anyone who speaks out against him.' Lively has remained firm in her stance, asserting that her statements about Baldoni's conduct both on and off set are truthful, including claims that he frequently made women feel uncomfortable and discussed inappropriate topics of a sexual nature in front of colleagues. Baldoni has denied all wrongdoing. The case is expected to go to trial in March 2026.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Judge signals he may dismiss NY Times from $400 million Baldoni-Lively defamation case
By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK (Reuters) - A judge on Tuesday signaled he may dismiss the New York Times as a defendant in a $400 million defamation lawsuit where the actor Justin Baldoni alleged the newspaper colluded with the actress Blake Lively to smear him after she accused him of sexual harassment. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan said the Times' February 28 motion to be excused from the case offered "substantial grounds for dismissal" and "a strong showing that its motion to dismiss is likely to succeed on the merits." See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Baldoni has denied sexually harassing Lively or engaging in a smear campaign. He and Lively have filed competing civil lawsuits stemming from Lively's claim that Baldoni sexually harassed her while filming the 2024 movie "It Ends With Us," which Baldoni also directed. Lively's husband Ryan Reynolds is also a defendant in Baldoni's lawsuit. Lawyers for Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lively's and Reynolds' lawyers did not immediately respond to similar requests. Baldoni accused the Times of working behind the scenes with Lively on a false and malicious narrative and becoming a "conduit for her revenge," resulting in its December 21, 2024 article "'We Can Bury Anyone': Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine." In its dismissal motion, the Times said it engaged merely in newsgathering and publishing the article, and that the plaintiffs did not show it acted with actual 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. Liman also granted the Times' request to put discovery, or the gathering of evidence, on hold pending a decision on its motion to dismiss. "We appreciate the court's decision today, which recognizes the important First Amendment values at stake," Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades Ha said in a statement. "The court has stopped Mr. Baldoni from burdening The Times with discovery requests in a case that should never have been brought."
