The New York Times secured a legal victory on Tuesday (March 4) in the ongoing defamation lawsuit with It Ends With Us director Justin Baldoni.
According to documents obtained by E! News, United States District Judge Lewis J Liman ruled in favour of The New York Times’ filing, temporarily pausing the exchange of information and documents while the court reviews its motion which seeks dismissal of the case. The judge noted that the publication has presented “substantial grounds” and “a strong showing that its motion to dismiss is likely to succeed on the merits.”
Baldoni’s legal team argued that discovery against NYT would not be “voluminous and burdensome” due to the limited timeframe in question. However, Judge Liman refuted this claim, stating that “the burden of discovery is not measured only by the number of pages.”The court also noted that NYT filed its motion to dismiss within 21 days of being served and intends to resolve the matter promptly once all legal submissions are received.
In response to the ruling, a representative for the publication expressed appreciation for the court’s decision, 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,” as reported by E!

Baldoni, originally filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The New York Times on New Year’s Eve, alleging that the publication collaborated with actress Blake Lively on an article regarding her alleged experience on set. In February, he filed a $400 million lawsuit, including Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and her publicist as defendants.