Blake Lively Awarded Legal Fees in Battle with Justin Baldoni

A federal judge recently granted Blake Lively a partial legal victory by awarding her attorneys fees in her dispute with Justin Baldoni. The court, however, did not determine the amount of these fees in the initial ruling.

The legal battle followed Ms. Lively’s settlement with Baldoni’s production company related to the 2024 film “It Ends With Us.” Despite not receiving financial compensation through the settlement, Ms. Lively retained the right to seek funds via a different legal route.

Her legal team referenced a California law designed to prevent defamation suits from intimidating harassment complainants. This followed Mr. Baldoni’s unsuccessful defamation claim against her last year. Ms. Lively had alleged a retaliatory online campaign was orchestrated by Mr. Baldoni after she reported sexual harassment on set.

Mr. Baldoni’s attorneys contended that Ms. Lively’s claims were exaggerated to influence the film production. However, Judge Liman’s 47-page order concluded her claims met the criteria of having been made “without malice,” as required by law. The judge highlighted the absence of evidence from Mr. Baldoni to show malicious intent in Ms. Lively’s accusations.

The exact attorneys fees owed to Ms. Lively are yet undecided, with potential for objections from Mr. Baldoni’s side. Ms. Lively had hoped for treble damages and punitive damages, which the law allows. Judge Liman clarified these could not be sought in this legal process, restricting her claims to attorney fees only.

Both Ms. Lively and Mr. Baldoni agreed not to appeal Judge Liman’s decision as part of their settlement agreement. Representatives for both parties did not immediately provide comments.