The New York Times, which had a hand in igniting the public war of words between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni by publishing a story over alleged misconduct in the filming of It Ends With Us, has moved to dismiss a defamation lawsuit accusing it of conspiring with the actress’ public relations team to advance a distorted narrative.

The New York Times moved Friday to dismiss Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios' defamation lawsuit over its article that began the legal battle between the actor-director and his "It Ends With Us" co-star,

The New York Times is asking a federal judge to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed by Justin Baldoni. The lawsuit is related to an article the newspaper published, which included claims from Blake Lively about Baldoni’s alleged misconduct on the set of “It Ends With Us.