A Manhattan federal judge on Wednesday ordered Justin Baldoni's side to pay Blake Lively $407,000 in legal fees and costs, a fraction of the $8.04 million she had sought for defending against his defamation lawsuit.
Liman found that Lively's litigation was "extremely well-litigated" and that hourly billing rates topping $2,000 were "not unreasonable" given the case's complexity. However, the judge determined that Lively's team billed an unreasonable number of hours and failed to adequately justify much of that work.
As a result, Liman restricted Lively's recovery mainly to costs tied to fighting the defamation claim itself, cutting out expenses related to media relations and to defending against a motion for sanctions.
The legal battle began when Baldoni, 42, filed a defamation suit against Lively, 39, in January 2025, one month after she sued him and Wayfarer over claims of sexual harassment and retaliation connected to "It Ends With Us." The film, in which both starred and which Baldoni directed, grossed more than $351 million worldwide despite mixed reviews.
That underlying case ended in settlement after Liman had already dismissed Lively's harassment allegations along with every claim against Baldoni personally, though he preserved her right to pursue a retaliation claim against Wayfarer. Both parties agreed beforehand not to appeal Liman's ruling on the fee award.
Baldoni has continued to deny all of Lively's allegations.
Lively's attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, called the ruling historic in a joint statement, saying: "This first-ever award of fees and costs under this California law is historic, and demonstrates that there are real consequences of bringing retaliatory lawsuits. As we have said from day one, Blake Lively's case was never about money – it was about accountability.”
Bryan Freedman, an attorney representing Baldoni, offered a different characterization, said: "The ruling is a significant victory for my clients and 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.”