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Justin Baldoni's legal battle is far from over. According to documents obtained by E! News, on March 4, a judge granted The New York Times' request for a stay of discovery in the $400 million federal defamation lawsuit against the director of It Ends With Us, which also named Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and a publicist.
As United States District Judge Lewis J. Liman considers the outlet's motion of dismissal from February 28, the filing, which asked the judge to temporarily prevent parties from exchanging information or documents, was granted.
The New York Times, which is part of the lawsuit because it reported on Lively's Civil Rights Department complaint in December, has "substantial grounds" and "a strong showing that its motion to dismiss is likely to succeed on the merits," he wrote in the most recent document.
Liman clarified that "the burden of discovery is not measured only by the number of pages," despite Baldoni's team's argument that obtaining "discovery against the NY Times will not be voluminous and burdensome because it will cover a relatively narrow time frame."
He underlined that "the sensitivity of the documents that will be requested and the complexity of the issues that discovery will present" also play a role.
The judge further stated that Baldoni's team, who are also suing the NYT in a separate $250 million defamation lawsuit, may ask for the "extent of discovery" they are requesting if the court rejects the motion.
"A stay while the Court decides the pending motion is unlikely to unfairly prejudice the Wayfarer Parties," Liman added. Within 21 days of being served, the NY Times filed its motion without any delays. As soon as the motion to dismiss is fully submitted, the court plans to address it.
The document went on, "It is clear that the parties will be busy with third-party discovery and document discovery from the other parties in the interim." "It is not expected that depositions will start anytime soon. The court hopes to decide the motion well before they do begin.”
A court has dismissed the New York Times (NYT), acknowledging the First Amendment principles involved. In a case that should never have been filed, the court prevented Baldoni from harassing The Times with discovery requests. They told the public about the complaint she filed with the California Civil Rights Department, said Danielle Rhoades Ha, senior vice president of external communications for the NYT, who stressed that the case should never have been brought against them. The Times will not be silenced by Baldoni's ill-fated campaign against them.
