Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, despite reaching a settlement, are amid ongoing legal turmoil. Lively is now seeking slightly over $8 million in legal expenses from her “It Ends With Us” co-star and director, Baldoni. Lively’s lawyers filed a court document requesting $7,495,526.87 for attorney fees and $539,514.01 for other costs. These costs stem from Lively’s defense against a $400 million defamation lawsuit that Baldoni, the co-founder of Wayfarer Studios, filed against her in January 2025.
The legal filing states that the lawsuit was not intended for a court victory but rather to retaliate against Lively by falsely labeling her a liar, intimidating witnesses and the media, and dissuading others from speaking up. The aggressive legal tactics employed by Wayfarer Studios aimed to deplete 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, aged 38, sued Baldoni, 42, and Wayfarer Studios in December 2024, alleging a conspiracy to tarnish her reputation after privately accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment during the film production. In response, Baldoni denied the allegations and later countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, a Canadian actor, and their publicist.
Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit in June 2025 and earlier dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claim in April. The parties agreed to settle their legal battle shortly before the trial was scheduled to commence, with Lively not receiving any monetary compensation. However, Liman subsequently ruled that Lively is entitled to recover certain legal expenses.
Liman justified the decision based on California laws safeguarding victims of harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits seeking to silence them. The law mandates the plaintiff to cover the defendant’s legal fees and costs if a defamation claim, as a response to a lawsuit, is dismissed, barring evidence development. Liman specified that unless malice behind Lively’s claims is proven, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios failed to support their case with evidence.
Efforts to obtain comments from the lawyers representing Lively and Baldoni are ongoing. The court filing revealed that Lively received discounted legal services from her attorneys, Esra Hudson of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, and Michael Gottlieb of Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Gottlieb disclosed offering Lively a reduced rate of $2,187 per hour compared to his standard $2,795 rate, totaling $457,000 for 224 billable hours related to defending against Baldoni’s countersuit.
Blake Lively has an extensive acting background, appearing in notable productions like “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the TV series “Gossip Girl.” Justin Baldoni’s career includes starring in “Jane the Virgin,” directing “Five Feet Apart” in 2019, and authoring “Man Enough,” a book challenging traditional masculinity notions.
