A federal judge has ruled that Blake Lively will receive just over $400,000 in legal fees from her ongoing dispute with actor and director Justin Baldoni, a fraction of the $8 million she had originally sought, according to the Associated Press.
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman issued the ruling in Manhattan, awarding Lively $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs — well below the $7,495,526.87 in fees and $539,514.01 in costs her legal team had requested, Rolling Stone reported.
Background: The “It Ends With Us” Legal Battle
The award stems from the fallout over the 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” which Lively starred in and Baldoni directed. Lively filed a complaint in December 2024 alleging that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, ran a smear campaign against her after she raised concerns about the working environment on set. Baldoni responded with a defamation lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and The New York Times over its coverage of the allegations, as detailed by Variety.
That defamation suit was dismissed on the grounds that Lively’s underlying claims were protected under litigation privilege and that the Times’ reporting amounted to fair coverage of the proceedings. Lively then sought to recover her legal costs under a 2023 California law designed to discourage retaliatory defamation suits against people who come forward with harassment allegations.
Why the Judge Reduced the Award
In his ruling, Judge Liman found that Lively’s legal team had performed the work competently and that some billing rates — including some above $2,000 an hour — were reasonable. However, he significantly reduced the award after concluding the team had claimed too many hours and, in some instances, hadn’t provided sufficient detail to justify the costs, according to JD Journal.
What Happens Next
Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, characterized the broader case as a win, noting that Baldoni’s original $400 million countersuit was dismissed by two separate courts. TMZ reported that Baldoni’s side had pushed back on Lively’s fee request as inflated.
Lively and Baldoni reached a broader settlement in May 2026, avoiding a federal trial that had been scheduled for later that month. This fee ruling was one of the final outstanding matters in the case. More updates here