Final answer:
L.B. Sullivan asserted that the allegedly defamatory advertisement referred to him because he was a public figure and the advertisement made false statements about him with either malicious intent or reckless disregard for the truth.
Step-by-step explanation:
In his lawsuit against The New York Times, L.B. Sullivan asserted that the allegedly defamatory advertisement referred to him because he was a public figure and the advertisement made false statements about him with either malicious intent or reckless disregard for the truth. This is based on the precedent set in the landmark Supreme Court case New York Times Co. v. Sullivan (1964), which stated that public figures needed to demonstrate not only that a negative press statement about them was untrue, but also that the statement was published with either malicious intent or reckless disregard for the truth.