Topline
Lawyers representing actor-director Justin Baldoni challenged his “It Ends With Us” co-star Blake Lively’s request for nearly $8 million in attorney’s fees following their protracted legal battle, calling it an “extraordinary sum” and urging the court to reduce or deny the request.
Blake Lively requested nearly $8 million in attorney’s fees. (Photo by XNY/Star Max/GC Images)
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Key Facts
In court documents filed overnight, Baldoni’s lawyers called Lively’s request for about $7.5 million in attorney’s fees and more than $500,000 in litigation expenses “stunning,” accusing her of inflating the hours her attorneys worked on the case.
Baldoni’s documents say Lively is seeking compensation for more than 7,000 hours of work spanning her legal team, calling the request “over-inclusive” and about 20 times the number of hours courts have found reasonable in comparable defamation cases.
Baldoni’s lawyers said Lively’s request includes much more than “reasonable fees for work necessary to defend Wayfarer’s defamation claim,” arguing Lively cannot request attorney’s fees for various claims that were dismissed, either voluntarily or by a judge.
Baldoni’s lawyers urged the court to deny Lively’s request “in its entirety,” or to at least “substantially reduce the request.”
The brief cites the New York Times’ request for about $181,000 in attorney’s fees, which it made after a judge tossed a similar suit Baldoni had filed accusing the Times of defaming him by publishing an article describing an alleged smear campaign his public relations team waged against Lively.
What Has Baldoni Said About The Legal Battle?
Baldoni’s effort to deny Lively attorney fees comes days after he spoke publicly about the legal battle for the first time. He posted a video with his wife last week, in which Baldoni thanked fans for their support and said he was still “healing” from the “traumatic” legal fight. His wife, Emily Baldoni, said she and her husband were victims of “injustice,” saying they have had to “wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things, like how could something like this even happen? Let alone disguised as a fight for women.” Baldoni said he remained quiet on the court fight because he “didn’t want to add to the noise,” saying he would let the legal process sort itself out.
Why Did Lively Request $8 Million In Attorney’s Fees?
Last month, a federal judge granted Lively’s request to seek attorney’s fees after she and Baldoni settled their years-long legal battle. Lively’s lawyers had sought fees under a California law that was passed to protect survivors of sexual abuse to seek compensation following retaliatory defamation lawsuits. The judge granted Lively’s effort to seek attorney’s fees, but denied her request for punitive damages, saying the request fell outside the “carefully crafted federal procedural rules designed to protect the rights of the parties.”
key background
Baldoni and Lively co-starred in the 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” which Baldoni directed, though the film’s success was largely overshadowed by the lengthy legal battle that ensued months after its premiere. In December 2024, Lively filed a civil rights complaint in California accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment, and the New York Times published an article that detailed an alleged smear campaign Baldoni’s team wielded against her. Lively filed a lawsuit in federal court shortly after, making many of the same claims. Baldoni filed his own lawsuits, including one against the Times, which was later dismissed, and another against Lively for defamation. Baldoni’s suit was dismissed last year, while Lively’s suit was set to head to trial in May of this year until a judge tossed many of her claims. Baldoni and Lively announced they had reached a settlement weeks later. Both Baldoni and Lively had framed the settlement as a victory for themselves: Lively’s lawyers Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson told Forbes in May the settlement was a “resounding victory for Blake Lively” in her effort to hold Baldoni accountable for “abusing the legal system to silence and intimidate” her. Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman said he could not disclose terms of the settlement, but noted Baldoni was “ecstatic.”
