Blake Lively Demands $8 Million From Justin Baldoni in Legal Fees After It Ends With Us Settlement

 

Blake Lively isn't walking away from her legal battle with Justin Baldoni empty-handed. Over a month after the two settled their bruising legal war stemming from It Ends With Us, Lively's legal team has filed a motion demanding Baldoni pay back more than $8 million in attorneys' fees and litigation costs.

HOW WE GOT HERE

The drama kicked off in December 2024 when Lively went public with allegations that she experienced sexual harassment on the set of It Ends With Us, which Baldoni directed and co-starred in. She also accused Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, of retaliating against her after she raised concerns on set. Baldoni denied the claims and fired back with a massive $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively.

A federal judge later dismissed Baldoni's defamation case, ruling that several of his claims were legally frivolous and that Lively's statements about the alleged misconduct were protected under California law. The two sides ultimately settled last month, though notably, no payout went to Lively as part of that settlement. She did, however, preserve her right to seek reimbursement for her legal costs under a California law designed to protect people who report sexual harassment from retaliatory defamation lawsuits.

THE BREAKDOWN

According to the filing, Lively is seeking $7,495,526.87 in attorney fees plus another $539,514.01 in litigation expenses. Her legal team, led by Michael Gottlieb of Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Esra Hudson of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, says the request reflects six months of work fighting off Baldoni's lawsuit, with rates already discounted between 10 and 15 percent as a courtesy.

The numbers are staggering. Gottlieb alone billed roughly $457,000 over 224 hours, averaging over $2,000 an hour, with his firm ultimately paid close to $4.5 million. Hudson's firm billed an estimated $2.9 million on top of that.

THE ALLEGATIONS BEHIND THE FILING

Perhaps the most explosive detail buried in the filing is a claim that Steve Sarowitz, the billionaire financier behind Wayfarer Studios, allegedly threatened before the litigation even began that if Lively ever "crossed the line," he would use his fortune to destroy her and her husband, reportedly comparing the plan to a "holy war."

Lively's attorneys argue Baldoni and Wayfarer used "scorched-earth litigation tactics" specifically designed to drain her financially, and say they could have ended the fight and reimbursed her at any point but chose not to.

A rep for Baldoni had not responded to requests for comment on the new filing at the time of reporting.

WHAT'S NEXT

The court will ultimately decide exactly how much Baldoni owes once he files his response. This request represents essentially Lively's last shot at any financial recovery from the case, barring a future lawsuit.

GCU VERDICT

Whatever side of this saga you land on, one thing is clear: nobody walks away from a legal fight like this unscathed, financially or otherwise. An $8 million bill is a brutal reminder of just how expensive it gets when Hollywood disputes end up in a courtroom instead of getting resolved quietly. The ball is now in Baldoni's court, literally.

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