Actor-Director Baldoni Sues New York Times for Libel

A Hollywood public-relations battle involving the stars of "It Ends With Us" has escalated into a full-fledged legal brawl.

- By ISABELLA SIMONETTI AND SARAH KROUSE

Actor and director Justin Baldoni and his publicists sued New York Times for libel, seeking $250 million in damages over an article published in December about an alleged campaign to harm Blake Lively's reputation.

The article included details from a legal complaint Lively filed with the California Civil Rights Department alleging sexual harassment on set and retaliation by Baldoni after she complained about his behavior.

Also on Tuesday, Lively sued Baldoni, his publicists, Wayfarer Studios and others involved in the company in New York federal court, echoing the allegations in her California complaint. Lively is seeking a monetary judgment for "mental pain and anguish and severe and serious emotional distress." The suits further widen the blast radius of a feud that has drawn in the stars' publicists and a major media outlet.

Baldoni; Wayfarer, which he co-founded; its chief executive, Jamey Heath and their public-relations representatives are among the plaintiffs in the libel suit, which alleges that the Times used "cherrypicked" and altered communications that lacked important context to publish a false and defamatory article. The suit also claims Baldoni and his representatives weren't given enough time to respond to the allegations in the article before publication.