In the latest installment of “Celebrity Lawsuits That Make You Go Hmmm,” Justin Baldoni just took an “L” in court against The New York Times, and let’s just say—this legal drama has more plot twists than It Ends With Us (and that’s saying something).
If you’re just tuning in, Baldoni—aka the 41-year-old actor-director who somehow got tangled in a lawsuit saga juicier than a reality show—sued The Times for a casual $250 million on New Year’s Eve. (Some people pop champagne at midnight, others drop quarter-billion-dollar lawsuits. To each their own.)
Why, you ask? Well, according to Baldoni, the NYT teamed up with Blake Lively to spill some behind-the-scenes tea about her alleged experience on set. And as if that wasn’t dramatic enough, he also slapped Blake and Ryan Reynolds with a $400 million defamation lawsuit. Yep, you read that right—FOUR. HUNDRED. MILLION. DOLLARS. For reference, that’s enough money to buy approximately 800 million bottles of Blake Lively’s Betty Buzz drinks.
But here’s where it gets even spicier: The New York Times wasn’t having it and basically called Baldoni’s claims “bogus” (which is lawyer-speak for “Boy, please.”). Naturally, they asked the court to kick them out of the lawsuit faster than a reality show contestant who caused too much drama on night one.
Dun Dun Dun—The Judge Enters the Chat
While the judge is still mulling over that request, they did give The Times a little legal vacation by pausing the discovery process. Translation: no frantic emails, no annoying legal scavenger hunts—just a nice little break while the courtroom circus continues.
In official legal terms (which sound way less fun), the judge basically said, “Relax, NYT. You won’t be unfairly harassed with endless document requests while we figure this mess out.”
The judge also pointed out that The Times didn’t waste a second fighting back—filing their motion within 21 days of being served. That’s faster than most of us respond to emails from our dentist.
The NYT’s Mic-Drop Moment
After the ruling, The New York Times’ reps wasted zero time celebrating their courtroom win, stating:
“We appreciate the court’s decision today, which recognizes the important First Amendment values at stake here. The court has stopped Mr. Baldoni from burdening The Times with discovery requests in a case that should never have been brought.”
Translation: “Thanks, Your Honor! We’d like to get back to writing about actual news now.”
So what’s next? Will Baldoni keep fighting? Will Ryan Reynolds tweet something sarcastic about this? Will Blake Lively casually sip a Betty Buzz and ignore it all? Stay tuned for the next episode of “Hollywood Lawsuits That Feel Like a Netflix Drama.”
