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Justin Baldoni Claims Blake Lively Plotted Defamation with NYT

Justin Baldoni Claims Blake Lively Plotted Defamation with NYT
Published 3 months ago on Feb 01, 2025

Justin Baldoni Accuses Blake Lively of Plotting with NYT in Amended $400 Million Defamation Suit.,

Hollywood actor and director Justin Baldoni has filed an amended version of his explosive $400 million defamation lawsuit against actress Blake Lively, claiming she conspired with The New York Times months in advance to damage his reputation.

The revised legal filing, submitted late Friday, alleges that Lively secretly coordinated with the publication, giving it privileged access to her sexual harassment complaint long before it was officially filed with the California Civil Rights Department on December 20. According to Baldoni’s legal team, this collaboration allowed The New York Times to meticulously prepare a comprehensive 4,000-word article titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which was published the very next day.

Evidence of a Months-Long Conspiracy?

A key piece of evidence highlighted in the amended complaint stems from metadata discovered within the online version of The New York Times article. Internet sleuths and investigative reporters from DailyMail.com identified embedded data suggesting that work on the article began as early as October 31, 2024—nearly two months before Lively officially lodged her complaint.

One notable clue includes a composite ‘topper’ image featuring Baldoni and Lively, co-stars in the film It Ends with Us, which carried a digital timestamp of ‘2024-12-16.’ More damningly, a technical feature labeled as a ‘message-embed-generator’ within the article’s source code reportedly bore the date ‘2024-10-31,’ implying that The New York Times had already begun constructing the piece well in advance of the legal filing.

“The simpler explanation is that The New York Times had already begun building its defamatory article no later than October 31, 2024,” the lawsuit alleges. “This included developing sophisticated graphic modules to prominently feature misleadingly edited and context-stripped text messages.”

Promotional Material Adds to the Suspicion

Adding fuel to the fire, Baldoni’s legal team points to a promotional video created by The New York Times to accompany the article. This video, designed to entice readers, boldly claimed: “This story reveals a new playbook for waging a far-reaching and largely undetectable smear campaign in the digital age.” Interestingly, the URL associated with the video contains a date of December 12, 2024—eight days before Lively’s official complaint.

Baldoni’s attorneys argue that such pre-produced content strips away typical legal protections enjoyed by journalists, such as the litigation privilege and fair reporting privilege. “The timing of these elements indicates that Lively and The New York Times engaged in a calculated effort to defame Baldoni, negating the legal shields that might otherwise protect their actions,” the complaint states.

A Timeline of Tumultuous Relations

Latest News

Justin Baldoni Accuses Blake Lively of Plotting with NYT in Amended $400 Million Defamation Suit.,

Hollywood actor and director Justin Baldoni has filed an amended version of his explosive $400 million defamation lawsuit against actress Blake Lively, claiming she conspired with The New York Times months in advance to damage his reputation.

The revised legal filing, submitted late Friday, alleges that Lively secretly coordinated with the publication, giving it privileged access to her sexual harassment complaint long before it was officially filed with the California Civil Rights Department on December 20. According to Baldoni’s legal team, this collaboration allowed The New York Times to meticulously prepare a comprehensive 4,000-word article titled “We Can Bury Anyone: Inside a Hollywood Smear Machine,” which was published the very next day.

Evidence of a Months-Long Conspiracy?

A key piece of evidence highlighted in the amended complaint stems from metadata discovered within the online version of The New York Times article. Internet sleuths and investigative reporters from DailyMail.com identified embedded data suggesting that work on the article began as early as October 31, 2024—nearly two months before Lively officially lodged her complaint.

One notable clue includes a composite ‘topper’ image featuring Baldoni and Lively, co-stars in the film It Ends with Us, which carried a digital timestamp of ‘2024-12-16.’ More damningly, a technical feature labeled as a ‘message-embed-generator’ within the article’s source code reportedly bore the date ‘2024-10-31,’ implying that The New York Times had already begun constructing the piece well in advance of the legal filing.

“The simpler explanation is that The New York Times had already begun building its defamatory article no later than October 31, 2024,” the lawsuit alleges. “This included developing sophisticated graphic modules to prominently feature misleadingly edited and context-stripped text messages.”

Promotional Material Adds to the Suspicion

Adding fuel to the fire, Baldoni’s legal team points to a promotional video created by The New York Times to accompany the article. This video, designed to entice readers, boldly claimed: “This story reveals a new playbook for waging a far-reaching and largely undetectable smear campaign in the digital age.” Interestingly, the URL associated with the video contains a date of December 12, 2024—eight days before Lively’s official complaint.

Baldoni’s attorneys argue that such pre-produced content strips away typical legal protections enjoyed by journalists, such as the litigation privilege and fair reporting privilege. “The timing of these elements indicates that Lively and The New York Times engaged in a calculated effort to defame Baldoni, negating the legal shields that might otherwise protect their actions,” the complaint states.

A Timeline of Tumultuous Relations

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