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 December 31.
In the costume obtained by E!, The New York Times was charged with defamation, invasion of privacy, fraud of promise and breach of implied-in-fact contract for his article about a retaliatory smear campaign the plaintiffs allegedly waged against Lively after she expressed concerns about alleged misconduct on set.
Stating that the report was “false” and relying on Lively’s CRD complaint, the plaintiffs denied the accusations and the alleged messages cited in the article and complaint were taken out of context.
“Despite his claim to have “examined these and other documents[,]’ THE Times relied almost entirely on Lively’s unverified and self-serving account,” the lawsuit says, “removing it almost verbatim while ignoring an abundance of evidence that contradicted her claims and exposed her true motivations.”
They alleged that “it was Lively, not the plaintiffs, who engaged in a calculated smear campaign.” She denied this.
The New York Times said he plans to “vigorously defend against the lawsuit.”
“The role of an independent news organization is to follow the facts wherever they lead,” he told E!. “Our story was reported meticulously and responsibly. It was based on a review of thousands of pages of original documents, including text messages and emails that we cite accurately and in detail in the article.”
