Blake Lively has been awarded just around USD 400,000 in legal costs from actor and director Justin Baldoni after settling their legal battle over the production of their 2024 film ‘It Ends With Us’.A federal judge, Lewis J. Liman ruled Wednesday that the actress would get only a fraction of the USD 8 million she sought. He explained in a written decision in Manhattan why Lively was not entitled to the full amount that her lawyers claim was spent after Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, filed their own claims in response to her December 2024 lawsuit.
Judge cites limitations in laws to protect sexual harassment victims
Acknowledging Lively and Baldoni had “waged fierce battle against each other in court,” the judge denied Lively the bulk of legal fees, citing the ‘limits of a California law’ designed to protect survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits.The law meant to protect sex abuse survivors from legal actions designed to intimidate and silence victims could only be construed to let her be reimbursed for what she paid lawyers to defend against defamation claims rather than all claims Baldoni made against her, Liman wrote.
Break down of fee awarded to Blake Lively
Thus, the judge ruled, Lively is entitled to USD 363,245 in attorneys’ fees and USD 44,206 in costs, which is a far cry from the USD 7,495,526.87 in fees she said she incurred in fighting this lawsuit and an aditional USD 539,514.01 in costs and expenses she claimed she incurred while defending herself.
Justin Baldoni’s lawyer reacts to ruling
Attorney Bryan Freedman, representing Baldoni, called the ruling a “significant victory for my clients” that will leave Lively with less than 5% of what she requested in legal fees.He said in a statement that it also “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.”In a statement to TMZ, he further added that the California law used in this case, Section 47.1, is “not a perfect law, but it is an important one designed to protect real survivors, who deserve to see this law tested and perfected in the court of law.”He adds, “Notwithstanding the fact that the law was applied in ways it was never intended for, my clients intentionally left Section 47.1 to be ruled on without any appellate rights to appeal as part of the settlement agreement, to prevent either party from overturning the law.”
Blake Lively’s legal team claims victory
Meanwhile, ttorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, representing Lively, said in a statement that Liman’s decision was “historic” because it was the first time under the California law that money was awarded. They said it showed “there are real consequences of bringing retaliatory lawsuits.”The lawyers added that Lively had “lifted the curtain for other victims, and set the precedent for others to come forward and expose similar conduct.”
About Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni
In her lawsuit, Lively asserted that she had been subjected to sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress and invasion of privacy.Baldoni, who directed the dark romantic drama and starred in it with Lively, denied harassing her or orchestrating a smear campaign. He claimed the complaints about his behavior were made up by Lively as part of an effort to seize creative control of the movie.Weeks after Lively sued, Baldoni and Wayfarer asserted claims in a countersuit against Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, of civil extortion, defamation, invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing and economic interference.
Judge Liman rejects Lively’s sexual harassment claims
In June 2025, Liman tossed out the countersuit Baldoni and Wayfarer had filed and nearly a year later rejected Lively’s sexual harassment claims on the grounds that she was an independent contractor rather than an employee when she worked on the film.In early May, two weeks before a scheduled trial, Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement, saying in a joint statement that Lively’s concerns “deserved to be heard” and that they “remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”
Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni fallout overshadows ‘It Ends With Us’
‘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 despite criticism that it glorified abuse. Lively and Baldoni’s fractious falling out took attention away from the film, overshadowing its message and success.Lively said in her lawsuit that during filming, Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, violated physical boundaries while filming a love scene, and pushed for nudity – against Lively’s wishes – during a scene in which her character was giving birth.Baldoni denied doing anything outside the realm of the normal creative process of making a movie.
