Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni have reached a settlement in their ongoing dispute, but the legal battle continues as Lively seeks over $8 million US in legal fees from her co-star and director of “It Ends With Us.” Lively’s attorneys filed a court document requesting $7,495,526.87 US for attorney’s fees and $539,514.01 US for other costs incurred in defending against a $400-million US defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni in January 2025.
The court filing alleges that the defamation lawsuit was a tactic to retaliate against Lively by falsely accusing her, intimidating witnesses and media, and draining her resources through aggressive legal tactics. The conflict between Lively and Baldoni stems from their work on the 2024 romantic drama film, an adaptation of a novel by Colleen Hoover, in which Baldoni directed and co-starred, produced by his company, Wayfarer Studios.
In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, accusing them of conspiring to ruin her reputation after she privately accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the film set. Baldoni denied the allegations and later countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist. However, the countersuit was dismissed by Judge Lewis J. Liman in June 2025.
After a series of legal actions, Lively and Baldoni agreed to settle the dispute just before a trial was scheduled to begin. Although no money exchanged hands in the settlement, the court ruled that Lively is entitled to recover some legal costs under California law, which aims to protect victims of harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits. The judge emphasized that Baldoni failed to provide evidence of malice behind Lively’s claims.
Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, extended discounted rates for their services, with Gottlieb charging an average hourly rate of $2,187 for his work on her defence against Baldoni’s lawsuit. Lively, known for her roles in “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and “Gossip Girl,” and Baldoni, recognized for his work in “Jane the Virgin” and “Five Feet Apart,” have yet to comment on the ongoing legal proceedings.