Blake Lively seeks $8 million in legal fees in Justin Baldoni dispute

Blake Lively is seeking more than $8 million in attorneys’ fees and litigation costs from Justin Baldoni, his production company Wayfarer Studios, and the other parties she defeated in their now-dismissed $400 million defamation lawsuit. Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during the production of their film“It Ends With Us,” which Baldoni directed and co-starred in. She also alleged that Wayfarer Studios retaliated against her after she complained about allegations of misconduct on the set of the film. Baldoni vehemently denied Lively’s claims. The star first public with her allegations in December 2024, roughly four months after their film premiered in theaters. She first lodged a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, then filed a federal lawsuit. In a newly filed motion on Tuesday, Lively’s attorneys argue that Baldoni’s lawsuit was brought to punish Lively for reporting alleged sexual harassment and retaliation to California’s Civil Rights Department, rather than to pursue legitimate legal claims. Her attorneys contend the defendants used the litigation to portray her as dishonest, intimidate potential witnesses, fuel a public relations campaign against her, and drive up the cost of her legal defense. U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman tossed out most of Lively’s claims against Baldoni earlier this year, including harassment, defamation and conspiracy. The two parties reached a settlement deal in May. Tuesday’s filing points to the court’s dismissal of the complaint, its finding that several claims were legally frivolous, and its ruling that Lively’s statements about the alleged misconduct were protected under California law. Liman had dismissed Baldoni’s defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively last year, but said she was allowed to move forward with a request for financial damages under California Civil Code Section 47.1, a law that protects people who report allegations of sexual misconduct from retaliatory defamation claims. Lively’s legal team said the law requires reimbursement for the defense of the litigation because the legal work on the various claims was intertwined. They argue she is entitled to recover approximately $7,495,526.87 million in attorneys’ fees and another $539,514.01 in litigation expenses. “Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so,” Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, Lively’s attorneys, said in a statement to NBC News. “The value of this ruling is in the precedent it creates, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides to those who may one day find themselves facing similar retaliation for speaking the truth.” In the filing, the attorneys also defend the billing rates charged by her legal teams at Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Manatt, saying they were consistent with those typically charged in high-stakes, complex litigation. The Wayfarer parties are expected to respond by July 13th. Representatives for Baldoni did not immediately respond to request for comment on Tuesday.