Judge orders Justin Baldoni to reimburse Blake Lively for legal fees in sexual harassment case
U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled that actor Blake Lively is entitled to recover over $8 million in attorneys’ fees and costs from Justin Baldoni after their settlement over a sexual-harassment lawsuit.
A federal judge in New York ruled that actress Blake Lively can recover more than $8 million in legal fees and costs from director Justin Baldoni following their settlement of a sexual-harassment dispute linked to the 2024 film It Ends with Us.
The decision, issued by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman, cited a California law that shifts defendants’ costs to plaintiffs when a retaliatory defamation claim is dismissed. The judge noted that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, had not provided sufficient evidence to prove Lively acted with malice in filing her original suit.
Lively’s counsel filed a request for $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees and $539,514.01 in costs, totaling $8,035,040.88. The filing described Baldoni’s litigation tactics as “scorched-earth” and said they included extensive discovery demands and frequent motions that forced Lively to seek court intervention.
"Those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so," said Lively’s lead attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson.
The ruling does not include punitive damages or other relief Lively sought. Baldoni’s earlier $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, was dismissed in November 2025.