A federal judge dismissed Sherry-Lehmann’s lawsuit accusing New York Times reporter James Stewart and former Chief Executive Michael Aaron of orchestrating a smear campaign linked to the wine seller’s 2023 collapse. US District Judge Andrew Carter said the company had not shown that Stewart and Aaron shared a common purpose to produce disparaging clickbait stories, and he also dismissed a state claim alleging Aaron breached his separation agreement. Carter allowed Sherry-Lehmann’s lawyers, who said they had not been paid, to withdraw. The once-prominent retailer had faced customer complaints involving undelivered wine futures (advance-paid wine deliveries), unpaid distributors, stored wine and refunds before New York’s liquor authority closed its Manhattan store in March 2023.