Overview
- A New York Supreme Court judge on Monday awarded The New York Times $171,616.20 after finding Wayfarer Studios’ defamation claims lacked a substantial basis and were subject to New York’s anti‑SLAPP law.
- The fee award follows a June 2025 federal ruling by Judge Lewis J. Liman that dismissed Justin Baldoni’s defamation suit against The New York Times and Blake Lively.
- Baldoni’s company unsuccessfully sought to stay the state award and the judge reduced the Times’ requested fees by excluding some post‑federal‑case work when calculating the $171,616.20 figure.
- Separate fee litigation continues: Blake Lively filed a memorandum seeking roughly $8 million in attorneys’ fees under California’s 2023 survivor‑protection law and Baldoni is actively contesting that request.
- Legal experts say the rulings test how anti‑SLAPP and California’s Protecting Survivors From Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act are used to shift fee burdens and could shape whether costly lawsuits can be used to deter reporting or to recover large legal bills.