Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have reached a settlement to resolve their issues, but the legal battle continues as Lively now seeks over $8 million US in legal fees from her co-star and director of “It Ends With Us.” Lively’s lawyers have requested $7,495,526.87 US in attorney’s fees and $539,514.01 US in additional costs to cover the expenses incurred from defending against a $400-million US defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni, who is also the co-founder of Wayfarer Studios.
The court filing alleges that the defamation lawsuit was a misuse of the legal system intended to tarnish Lively’s reputation, intimidate witnesses and the media, and deter others from coming forward. Lively’s legal team claims that the aggressive legal tactics employed by Wayfarer Studios were aimed at depleting Lively’s resources.
The conflict between Lively and Baldoni dates back to their collaboration on the 2024 romantic drama film based on a Colleen Hoover novel. Lively initiated legal action against Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios in December 2024, accusing them of orchestrating a campaign to damage her reputation following her allegations of sexual harassment against Baldoni on the film set. Baldoni refuted the accusations and later countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist.
The legal disputes culminated in a settlement agreement reached last month, just before a trial was scheduled to commence. Despite not receiving any monetary compensation in the settlement, Lively was granted the right to recover certain legal costs by Judge Lewis J. Liman in June. The ruling was based on a California law designed to protect individuals from retaliatory lawsuits aimed at silencing victims of harassment and discrimination.
Liman emphasized that the law mandates the plaintiff to cover the defendant’s legal fees and expenses if a defamation claim is dismissed, unless evidence of malice behind the accusations is presented. In this case, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios failed to demonstrate any malice on Lively’s part.
Lively’s legal team, comprising Esra Hudson from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, and Michael Gottlieb from Willkie Farr & Gallagher, disclosed that they offered discounted rates to Lively for their services. Gottlieb, in a court declaration, stated that he invoiced Lively at a reduced hourly rate of $2,187, compared to his standard rate of $2,795 per hour. He detailed billing 224 hours for work related to defending against Baldoni’s countersuit, totaling $457,000 in fees.
Blake Lively is known for her roles in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and “Gossip Girl,” while Justin Baldoni has been recognized for his work in “Jane the Virgin” and as the director of “Five Feet Apart” and author of “Man Enough,” which challenges conventional ideas of masculinity.