New York, New York – Justin Baldoni‘s production company, Wayfarer Studios, must pay up over its defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which was tossed by a judge last summer.
On Monday, The New York Times was awarded over $171,000 in a decision handed down by New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits, per People.
Baldoni’s company had sued the outlet over its reporting on the sexual harassment and retaliation allegations made against the 42-year-old actor by his It Ends With Us co-star, Blake Lively.
But Wayfarer’s claims of defamation were ultimately dismissed by US District Judge Lewis J. Liman in June, leading The New York Times to file a separate lawsuit seeking legal fees from the production company.
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“The underlying federal action here arose from publicly posted media coverage… about a legal proceeding brought by a prominent actress,” the judge wrote in Monday’s decision.
Baldoni had also sued Lively herself for alleged defamation, but that case was also dismissed.
The co-stars reached a surprise settlement back in May over Lively’s initial case against him, which had been cut down by a judge to include only three of her 13 claims.
Following the settlement, the Gossip Girl star is now demanding millions from Baldoni in legal fees that stem from her efforts to fight the dismissed defamation suit.
On Tuesday, Baldoni’s wife made some headlines for seemingly throwing some shade at Lively amid the high-profile legal drama.
In a post marking their 13th wedding anniversary, Emily Baldoni said her marriage to Justin was “still my favorite lift” – a comment that some fans took as a nod to Lively’s lawsuit.
The A Simple Favor actor had claimed her co-star made offensive comments about Lively’s weight over a movie scene in which he had to pick her up.
The Baldonis previously broke their silence on the legal saga on social media earlier this month, saying that “the truth and the facts have spoken for themselves.”
