Actress Blake Lively has formally requested $8,035,040.88 in legal fees and litigation costs following a federal judge’s ruling in her multi-year legal dispute with actor-director Justin Baldoni. The submission, filed by her legal counsel in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, seeks $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees and $539,514.01 in additional expenses.
The financial demand stems from a June 2026 decision by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman. The ruling established that Lively was entitled to recover expenses incurred while defending against a $400 million defamation and extortion countersuit brought by Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, which was dismissed in June 2025. Liman applied California Civil Code Section 47.1—the Protecting Survivors from Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act—marking a precedent for the 2023 statute’s implementation in a federal court. The law mandates that plaintiffs who file unsuccessful retaliatory defamation claims against individuals reporting sexual harassment must cover the defendant’s legal costs.
The broader conflict began in late 2024 when Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department, accusing her It Ends With Us co-star of on-set harassment and retaliation. Baldoni denied the allegations, countering that Lively sought to seize creative control of the film. Although Judge Liman previously dismissed Lively’s direct sexual harassment claims because she operated as an independent contractor rather than an employee, her retaliation claims survived until both parties reached a formal settlement in May 2026.
Lively’s lead attorneys, Michael Gottlieb of Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Esra Hudson of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, argued in a 15-page memorandum that Wayfarer Studios engaged in aggressive litigation tactics to exhaust Lively’s financial resources. Baldoni and his legal team, led by Bryan Freedman, have until July 13, 2026, to formally contest or accept the requested fee total.
Concurrently, Wayfarer Studios is involved in a separate legal dispute in Los Angeles Superior Court against its insurers, including QBE Insurance Corporation and New York Marine and General Insurance Company, regarding coverage payouts associated with the extensive litigation.
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