Blake Lively continues fight for attorney fees after Justin Baldoni settlement

Blake Lively is continuing her legal push for attorney fees and damages even after reaching a settlement with Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios in their long-running It Ends With Us dispute, with sources close to the actress framing the effort as an act of advocacy rather than a financial pursuit.

Lively’s legal team believes the remaining motion is about holding people accountable for what they describe as retaliatory legal tactics used against women who speak out. A source close to the actress reportedly said the issue is “about so much more to her” than recovering money from the case.

The settlement, reached earlier this week just before the case was set to go to trial, resolved most of the remaining claims between the two sides after nearly 18 months of lawsuits, countersuits, and public accusations tied to the 2024 film It Ends With Us.

Despite the agreement, Lively still has an active motion seeking attorney fees, treble damages, and punitive damages under a California law designed to protect individuals who claim they faced retaliatory defamation lawsuits after reporting harassment or misconduct. Reuters reported that her attorneys argue Baldoni’s now-dismissed defamation claims were part of an effort to intimidate and silence her.

Baldoni’s legal team has pushed back strongly against Lively’s characterisation of the outcome, arguing that most of her original claims, including sexual harassment allegations, had already been dismissed by the court before the settlement. Attorney Bryan Freedman described the resolution as a “total victory” for Baldoni and Wayfarer.

Court records show no money changed hands in the settlement itself, though the unresolved fees motion means the legal battle is not entirely over.