Blake Lively awarded $400,000 in attorneys’ fees in dispute with Justin Baldoni
Blake Lively has secured $400,000 (P24.7 million) in attorneys’ fees in her legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni.
In a report by Variety, judge Lewis Liman awarded the actress $363,000 (P22.4 million) in attorneys’ fees and another $44,000 (P2.7 million) in court costs.
While Lively's team initially sought $8 million (P495 million) in legal costs, Liman ruled that they were only entitled only to the “reasonable” fees related to defending against the defamation suit.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, said that this decision is a "significant victory" for their team as Lively got only 5% of what she asked for.
"[It] sends a clear message that, no matter how powerful you may be, the courtroom is not a place to take advantage of the law for your own personal gain," he said.
Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, meanwhile asserted that their goal " was never about money—it was about accountability."
"She lifted the curtain for other victims, and set the precedent for others to come forward and expose similar conduct. This result demonstrates that the legal system is not as easily manipulated as social media, and still functions as a force for accountability," they said.
The legal fees were the only thing left unsettled in Lively and Baldoni's defamation case, which was resolved in May earlier this year. Lawyers for the two stars reached an agreement resolving their dispute, avoiding a costly civil trial.
Lively's initial complaint had said Baldoni—who also directed the film—had spoken inappropriately about his sex life and sought to alter the film to include sex scenes that were not in the script and had not been agreed to.
It also said producer Jamey Heath had watched Lively while she was topless, despite having been asked to turn away. It further claimedd that Baldoni waged a PR campaign to wreck Lively's reputation.
Baldoni and the studio Wayfarer later countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds with claims of extortion and defamation—but a judge dismissed those claims last year.
It Ends With Us, an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel about a relationship devolving into domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded box office expectations.
