Blake Lively will be receiving a little over $400,000 out of the $8 million she had requested in legal fees from actor and director Justin Baldoni following the resolution of their dispute over their 2024 film, “It Ends With Us,” as stated by a federal judge on Wednesday.
Judge Lewis J. Liman detailed in a written ruling in Manhattan why Lively was not granted the full amount her legal team had claimed to have spent after Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, raised their own legal arguments in response to Lively’s lawsuit from December 2024.
Recognizing the intense legal battle between Lively and Baldoni, the judge declined the majority of the legal fees Lively had sought, citing the constraints of a California law aimed at safeguarding survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory litigation.
The judge determined that Lively could only be reimbursed for the expenses incurred in defending against defamation claims, rather than all the claims brought forth by Baldoni. Consequently, Lively is awarded $363,245 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206 in costs.
Requests for comments were sent to representatives of both Baldoni and Lively.
In her lawsuit, Lively alleged instances of sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy.
Baldoni, who directed and starred alongside Lively in the dark romantic drama, refuted the allegations of harassment or orchestrating a smear campaign. He contended that Lively fabricated the complaints to seize creative control of the movie.
Following Lively’s legal action, Baldoni and Wayfarer filed counterclaims against Lively and her spouse, actor Ryan Reynolds, citing civil extortion, defamation, invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing, and economic interference. Liman dismissed these counterclaims in June 2025 and subsequently rejected Lively’s sexual harassment allegations almost a year later, stating that she was an independent contractor, not an employee, during her work on the film.
In early May, just before the scheduled trial, Lively and Baldoni settled, expressing in a joint statement that Lively’s concerns deserved attention and affirming their commitment to maintaining workplaces free from improprieties and unproductive atmospheres.
“It Ends With Us,” based on Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel depicting a relationship descending into domestic violence, premiered in August 2024, surpassing box office predictions despite criticism for supposedly glorifying abuse. The public dispute between Lively and Baldoni overshadowed the film’s message and success.
Lively alleged that during filming, Baldoni made inappropriate remarks about her appearance, crossed physical boundaries during a love scene, and pressured for nudity against her wishes in a birthing scene.
Baldoni refuted any actions beyond the typical creative process in filmmaking.
Prior to this incident, Lively appeared in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” (2005) and the TV series “Gossip Girl” (2007-2012), followed by roles in films such as “The Town” and “The Shallows.” Baldoni starred in the TV show “Jane the Virgin,” directed the film “Five Feet Apart” (2019), and authored “Man Enough,” challenging conventional perceptions of masculinity.
