Blake Lively is seeking more than $8 million in legal fees from Justin Baldoni following the dismissal of his $400 million defamation lawsuit against her. Baldoni, who settled their broader legal dispute in May, is now fighting the request, characterizing the bill as a bloated attempt to recover costs for unsuccessful motions.
The $8 Million Fee Dispute
The legal aftermath of the collaborative friction surrounding the film It Ends With Us
has centered on a high-stakes financial disagreement. In a filing submitted on June 30, Blake Lively requested that a New York court order Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, to pay her reasonable attorneys’ fees of $7,495,526.87 and costs in the amount of $539,514.01, totaling $8,035,040.88. Her legal team argues these expenses were comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured
when Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni’s $400 million defamation countersuit.
Baldoni’s legal team, led by attorney Bryan Freedman, is pushing back against the seven-figure demand. In a motion filed recently, they contend that the request is wildly overinflated
and, in some instances, improper. According to reporting from TMZ, Baldoni’s filing specifically claims that Lively’s fee request is so over-inclusive that it sweeps in fees for researching her own liability for perjury arising from her California CRD claim and her Rule 11 motion for which the Court has already denied fees!
Baldoni has urged the judge to deny the request entirely, or in the alternative, to reduce the award to a six-figure sum.
From Defamation Claims to Settlement
The current dispute is the final chapter of a complex litigation timeline that began in December 2024, when Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation. Baldoni responded in January 2025 with a $400 million defamation countersuit, alleging that Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, had orchestrated a smear campaign against him. That countersuit was later dismissed by Judge Liman, who determined that Lively’s original accusations were legally protected.
By May 4, 2026, the parties reached a settlement to resolve the remainder of their legal battle, avoiding a trial that had been scheduled for the following month. While Lively received no settlement money, the judge ruled that she was eligible to seek reimbursement for her defense costs under California law, which protects individuals from retaliatory lawsuits following harassment complaints.
Baldoni Breaks Silence on Legal Trauma
Following the conclusion of the litigation, Baldoni broke his long-standing public silence. In a video posted to social media alongside his wife, Emily, the actor reflected on the emotional toll the proceedings had taken on his family. There has been so many painful things that have been spoken into existence over the last couple years, and that created so much noise,
Baldoni said. His wife added that while they felt immense gratitude
for their community and faith, the experience involved a lot of trauma
that they are still working to move through.
The legal teams have maintained contrasting perspectives on the nature of the litigation. Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, described Baldoni’s countersuit as a gross abuse of the legal system
that was not meant to win in court
but rather to intimidate the actress. Conversely, Baldoni’s camp previously argued that the dispute was essentially about Hollywood reputations
rather than legitimate legal wrongs, emphasizing that Lively’s professional status as an independent contractor should have precluded certain harassment claims under Title VII.
Next Steps in the Fee Determination
The court has set a deadline of July 13 for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios to respond to Lively’s latest motion. Judge Liman is now tasked with determining whether the requested $8 million is appropriate or if the billing rates—which include charges of up to $2,187 per hour—should be adjusted.
As the court weighs the final figures, the case serves as a high-profile example of how discovery disputes and legal fee petitions can continue to occupy the courts long after the primary allegations have been settled. Whether the judge views the $8 million figure as a standard cost of a complex, high-stakes defense or as an excessive sum remains the final outstanding question in the It Ends With Us
saga.
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