Judge grants Blake Lively over $400,000 in attorney fees after settlement with Justin Baldoni

U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman ordered that actress Blake Lively receive $363,245.40 in attorney fees and $44,206.35 in costs related to her 18-month legal dispute with director Justin Baldoni. The award is significantly lower than the $8 million Lively had sought, with the judge stating that while the lawyers’ billing rates were not unreasonable, the number of hours claimed was excessive. Liman also noted that Lively’s documentation was incomplete, citing the absence of original invoices.

The dispute began in December 2024 when Lively alleged that Baldoni had sexually harassed her and created a hostile work environment on the set of the drama "It Ends With Us." Baldoni responded with a counter-defamation lawsuit the following month. The parties reached a settlement in May, leaving only the issue of legal fees to be resolved.

"We’ve had to wrestle with so many things and try to understand so many things," said Emily Baldoni, the director’s wife, in a video posted to Instagram, referring to the emotional toll of the case.

Lively has not commented publicly on the litigation since the settlement, though she has continued public appearances at events such as the Met Gala and the World Cup final.