Judge signals he may dismiss NY Times from $400 million Baldoni-Lively defamation case

A judge on Tuesday signaled he may dismiss the New York Times as a defendant in a $400 million defamation lawsuit where the actor Justin Baldoni alleged the newspaper colluded with the actress Blake Lively to smear him after she accused him of sexual harassment.

US District Judge Lewis Liman in Manhattan said the Times‘ February 28 motion to be excused from the case offered “substantial grounds for dismissal” and “a strong showing that its motion to dismiss is likely to succeed on the merits.”

Baldoni has denied sexually harassing Lively or engaging in a smear campaign.