A federal judge rejected Lively’s initial $7.5 million request, awarding a fraction of the sought legal fees and costs.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman in New York has ordered Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, to pay Blake Lively just over $363,000 in attorneys’ fees and $44,000 in costs. The order follows Lively’s request for a $7.5 million reimbursement, which Judge Liman rejected as “unreasonable.” In his ruling, Liman cited a California law designed to protect sexual harassment accusers from retaliation, noting that it applied specifically to Lively’s fees for defamation claims.
The legal dispute between the It Ends With Us co-stars began in December 2024, when Lively filed a complaint alleging sexual harassment on set and an orchestrated smear campaign, claims Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios denied. After Liman dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit in June 2025 and trimmed parts of Lively’s suit in April, the parties agreed to settle in May. Responding to Wednesday’s decision, Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, called the outcome a victory, highlighting that the court awarded only 5% of the requested legal fees and costs.
