Blake Lively awarded $407,000 after Justin Baldoni lawsuit takes another legal turn

Blake Lively has been awarded $407,451.75 in attorneys’ fees and legal costs following the dismissal of Justin Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit against her, bringing another significant stage of their lengthy legal dispute to a close. The amount is substantially below the $8,035,040.88 that Lively had asked the court to recover.

US District Judge Lewis J Liman ruled on August 26 that Lively could recover $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs. The decision followed his earlier finding that Lively qualified for fee recovery under a California law designed to protect people who report sexual misconduct from retaliatory defamation claims.

Lively had requested $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees and a further $539,514.01 in costs. Liman accepted that the hourly rates charged by her legal team were reasonable, but found the number of hours claimed for reimbursement excessive. He also rejected requests connected to media relations and certain travel expenses.

The ruling therefore represents only a small portion of the amount Lively had sought. According to Reuters, the $407,451.75 award amounts to roughly 5% of her original request.

The fee decision comes after an extraordinary legal dispute surrounding the 2024 film It Ends With Us, which starred Lively and Baldoni. Baldoni directed the film and played the role of Ryle Kincaid, while Lively portrayed Lily Bloom.

Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment during production and alleged that his company, Wayfarer Studios, retaliated after she raised concerns. Baldoni strongly denied the allegations. In January 2025, Baldoni filed a defamation and extortion lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and publicist Leslie Sloane, claiming that Lively and Reynolds had sought to damage his reputation and take control of the film.

Liman dismissed Baldoni’s claims against Lively and Reynolds in 2025. He also dismissed a separate defamation lawsuit Baldoni had filed against The New York Times over its reporting on the allegations.

The broader dispute eventually reached a settlement in May 2026, preventing a trial that had been scheduled in New York. The settlement ended the remaining claims between the parties, although the question of legal fees remained before the court. Variety previously reported that no money changed hands between Lively and Baldoni as part of the settlement.

Lively’s lawyers portrayed Wednesday’s ruling as an important legal development. In a statement reported by NBC News, attorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb said Lively’s case had been about accountability and argued that the outcome demonstrated the legal system could still provide protection against retaliatory litigation.

Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman presented the ruling differently, describing the sharply reduced award as a victory for his clients. He argued that the judge’s decision showed the original $8m request was excessive and said the courtroom should not be used to exploit legal protections for personal gain.

The latest ruling does not change the confidential settlement reached in May, nor does it establish a finding that Baldoni committed the misconduct alleged by Lively. Baldoni has continued to deny her allegations. Instead, the decision addresses the narrower question of which legal expenses Lively was entitled to recover after successfully defending herself against the defamation claims.