Blake Lively Seeks $8.04 Million in Legal Fees from Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively Seeks $8.04 Million in Legal Fees from Justin Baldoni
Elizabeth RosnerTue, June 30, 2026 at 12:47 PM UTC
0
Justin Baldoni and Blake LivelyCredit: John Nacion/Getty; ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty -
Blake Lively has asked a federal judge to award her $8.04 in attorneys' fees and litigation costs following her legal battle with Justin Baldoni
The request comes after Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that Lively is entitled to seek attorneys' fees and costs under California Civil Code Section 47.1, while denying her bid for treble and punitive damages
Judge Lewis J. Liman has given Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios until June 29 to challenge the amount Lively says she is owed
Blake Lively is seeking $8,035,040.88 in attorneys' fees and litigation costs from Justin Baldoni following the dismissal of his defamation-related lawsuit against her, according to a filing submitted Monday, June 29.
According to the filing, Lively, 38, is seeking $7,495,526.87 in attorneys' fees and $539,514.01 in litigation costs and expenses incurred during the "successful defense of the Wayfarer Action." Her attorneys said the work required to defeat the lawsuit was "comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured," adding that Lively "has paid, and continues to pay" her legal bills. They also said she will seek "any additional attorneys' fees" incurred in litigating the fee request itself.
The filing argues the case's unusually high profile drove up costs, citing "significant press attention, with thousands of indexed and syndicated media articles," along with extensive discovery that included more than 7,000 documents produced by Lively and tens of thousands more from the Wayfarer parties and third parties.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively are seen on the set of "It Ends with Us" on January 12, 2024 in Jersey City, New Jersey.Credit: Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
While Lively has now specified the amount she believes she is owed, the fight is far from over. Judge Lewis J. Liman has ordered Baldoni, 42, and Wayfarer Studios to respond to the request by July 13, after which he will determine whether to award the full amount, reduce it or deny portions of the request altogether.
Representatives for Baldoni did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
The request comes less than two weeks after Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that Lively is entitled to pursue attorneys' fees and costs under California Civil Code Section 47.1, which protects individuals from retaliatory defamation lawsuits after reporting sexual harassment, discrimination or retaliation.
Liman found that Lively qualified as a prevailing defendant under the statute and could seek reimbursement for legal fees tied to defending against Baldoni's defamation allegations, but denied her requests for treble and punitive damages.
Advertisement
The legal battle stems from the production and promotion of It Ends With Us and escalated into dueling lawsuits between Lively and Baldoni before the parties reached a settlement in May, just weeks before a scheduled trial.
As part of that agreement, the parties resolved the broader litigation but left Lively's request for attorneys' fees, costs and damages under Section 47.1 for the court to decide.
In his June 12 ruling, Liman determined that Lively could pursue attorneys' fees and litigation costs as a prevailing defendant under the statute, while rejecting her efforts to recover treble damages and punitive damages.
Following the decision, Lively's attorneys, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, called the ruling "another complete victory and a total vindication" for their client.
"The Court has again recognized that Ms. Lively was sued in retaliation for reporting sexual harassment and retaliation and has awarded her attorneys' fees and costs that will be paid by the Wayfarer Parties," the attorneys said in a statement shared with PEOPLE at the time.
Back in June, Baldoni attorney Bryan Freedman struck a different tone, emphasizing that the court denied Lively's request for treble and punitive damages and arguing that any fee award would be limited in scope.
“Ms. Lively was only awarded limited attorney fees for a single claim as part of a case that lasted only a matter of months, nothing more,” he said. “Notwithstanding that all of her claims were thrown out, Ms. Lively then pivoted to exploit a California law intended to protect real victims in what proved to be a fruitless mission to obtain damages. Once again, she failed.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
