NEWS
Breaking News : Justin Baldoni has been sued by the New York Times because of his since-dismissed $400 million defamation case over an article detailing his fallout with It Ends With Us costar Blake Lively…

Justin Baldoni is facing another legal battle.Four months after the It Ends With Us director’s $400 million lawsuit against the New York Times regarding an article detailing his and Blake Lively’s fallout—and his alleged smear campaign against her—was dismissed by a judge, the newspaper has filed a lawsuit for punitive damages against the Wayfarer Studios filmmaker.
In documents filed Sept. 30 and obtained by People Oct. 2, NYT filed a complaint “to recover costs, fees and expenses incurred,” amid the legal dispute with Baldoni, which was originally filed in December before its June dismissal.
The newspaper, which maintained it would vigorously defend itself against Baldoni’s initial suit, is seeking “compensatory and punitive damages against plaintiffs who, like Wayfarer, commence or continue meritless legal claims for the purpose of ‘harassing, intimidating, punishing or otherwise maliciously inhibiting the free exercise of speech.’”
NYT is seeking at least $150,000 in damages. E! News has reached out to reps for Baldoni regarding the lawsuit but has not yet heard back.
According to Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman, meanwhile, the director has vowed to fight the New York Times suit.
“Win, lose or draw, we refuse to cave to power brokers even in the face of seemingly impossible odds.” Freedman said in a statement to People. “We continue to stand tall for a reason: the pursuit of truth, in the face of giants.”
Freedman went on to subtly slam the anti-SLAPP law—parameters set to prevent people from pursuing legal action against those who invoke their First Amendment right—cited by the NYT in its filing. Freedman added, “If the current laws protect legacy media in this manner, perhaps it’s up to us to ignite that change.”
This is only the latest legal action Baldoni has faced in the last year. Since Lively filed her civil complaint against the Jane the Virgin alum, thus sparking a flurry of lawsuits filed by and against each party.
And though Baldoni’s lawsuits against NYT and Lively have been dismissed, the Gossip Girl alum’s filing against Baldoni filed in January continues. Earlier this month, a man allegedly attempting to serve Lively’s friend Taylor Swift deposition papers on behalf of Baldoni was arrested outside her fiancé Travis Kelce’s Kansas City home, multiple outlets reported at the time.