Blake Lively has been awarded 407 mil 451 dólares in legal fees and costs following the dismissal of a defamation claim filed against her by It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni, according to a court order issued by U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman in New York.
The financial breakdown filed in Manhattan federal court designates 363 mil 245 dólares for attorney’s fees and 44 mil 206 dólares for additional legal expenses. The total sum awarded falls significantly short of the more than 8 millones de dólares that Blake Lively’s legal team initially requested from the court.
The Legal Dispute Behind the Ruling
The financial judgment stems from a complex legal conflict surrounding the production and promotional rollout of the 2024 film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel It Ends With Us. According to court documents, Blake Lively accused Justin Baldoni and individuals involved in the production of sexual harassment and professional retaliation. Justin Baldoni denied those allegations.
Justin Baldoni and his production company subsequently filed a multimillion-dollar defamation lawsuit against Blake Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and other associated parties. When that defamation claim was dismissed, the court determined that Blake Lively was entitled to recover reasonable defense costs under California legislation designed to protect individuals facing retaliatory defamation claims after reporting workplace harassment or discrimination.
Why the Court Reduced the Award
Blake Lively’s attorneys petitioned the court for approximately 8.04 millones de dólares in total fees and expenses. While Judge Liman acknowledged that the hourly rates charged by the defense attorneys were reasonable, the court concluded that the total volume of billed hours submitted for reimbursement was excessive.
According to the federal ruling, the awarded amount was strictly limited to expenses directly tied to defending against the defamation claim. The court excluded unrelated costs and hours that lacked sufficient justification under the governing California statute.
Resolution of the Litigation
The remaining active litigation between the parties was ultimately resolved in May 2026 before the case proceeded to a full jury trial, leaving only the determination of legal fees and costs to be finalized by the federal court.
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