Full Breakdown
Justin Baldoni Ordered to Pay $171,616 in Legal Fees to The New York Times
7/28/2026, 2:16:42 AM
Court Order Requires Baldoni to Pay $171,616 in Legal Fees
On Monday, July 27, a judge ordered actor-director Justin Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios to pay $171,616 to The New York Times for the newspaper’s legal fees. The payment follows the dismissal of Baldoni’s defamation suit against the newspaper and a separate suit against actress Blake Lively that were both tossed earlier in the year.
Prior Defamation Lawsuits Involving Blake Lively and The New York Times
The legal dispute traces back to December 2024, when Lively sued Baldoni for alleged sexual harassment and a smear campaign during production of *It Ends With Us*. Baldoni responded with a $400 million countersuit. The New York Times entered the fray after publishing a December 2024 article that detailed Lively’s allegations, which Baldoni claimed was defamatory and sued the paper for $250 million.
Official Court Filings and Anti-SLAPP Claim
The anti-SLAPP filing framed Baldoni’s litigation as an attempt to silence protected speech, a characterization that the court accepted in ordering the fee payment.
Verbatim Quote
“It just didn’t feel like the right time, and we were talking about it and feeling into it and praying about it.”
The ruling underscores the high legal stakes of defamation claims involving public figures and major news outlets, and it marks the latest financial consequence for Baldoni’s two-year legal battle.
