Blake Lively awarded $400K in legal fees after Baldoni's loss
What's the story
Actor Blake Lively has been awarded nearly $4,07,000 in legal fees and costs after successfully defending against a defamation lawsuit filed by her It Ends With Us co-star Justin Baldoni. The ruling was made by US District Judge Lewis Liman on Wednesday. However, the amount is only a fraction of the over $8 million that Lively had initially sought.
Details
Judge's take on the matter
Judge Liman noted that while the case was "extremely well-litigated," with billing rates sometimes exceeding $2,000 per hour being "not unreasonable" considering its complexity and high stakes, Lively had sought reimbursement for an unreasonable number of hours.
The judge also said Lively didn't sufficiently explain what much of the work was for.
Her recovery was limited to defending against Baldoni's defamation claim, excluding other costs like media relations and a motion for sanctions defense.
Legal proceedings
Timeline of the legal battle
The legal feud between Lively and Baldoni began when Lively filed a complaint in December 2024.
Baldoni then filed a defamation suit against her the month after that.
This was after she sued him and Wayfarer Studios over alleged sexual harassment and retaliation related to It Ends With Us, which both starred in and Baldoni directed.
The case settled after Liman dismissed Lively's harassment claims but allowed her to sue Wayfarer for retaliation.
Reactions
Lively's lawyers react to ruling; Baldoni's lawyer speaks
Lively's lawyers, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said in a joint statement that the award of fees and costs under California law is historic.
They said it shows there are real consequences for bringing retaliatory lawsuits.
Meanwhile, Bryan Freedman, a lawyer for Baldoni, called the ruling a significant victory for his clients.
He said it sends a clear message that no one can take advantage of the law for personal gain in court.
Case background
What was the lawsuit about?
Lively had filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department in December 2024, accusing Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios of an online smear campaign against her.
This was allegedly in retaliation for her complaints about sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us.
In response, Baldoni filed a defamation suit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds for making fake allegations to gain creative control over the film.