BLAKE LIVELY SEEKS $8M IN LEGAL FEES FROM JUSTIN BALDONI

Blake Lively has filed for $8,035,040 in legal fees and costs against Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios. The sum covers expenses Lively incurred between January and June 2025 whilst defending against a countersuit filed by Baldoni. The lawsuit concerned their work together on the 2024 film It Ends With Us, and was settled in May 2026. A federal judge ruled in June that Lively was entitled to recover fees and costs resulting from her defence against Baldoni's countersuit.

Baldoni filed a $400m countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds in January 2025, alleging civil extortion, defamation and invasion of privacy. This followed an initial complaint of sexual harassment made by Lively the previous month. Baldoni's defamation suit was dismissed in June 2025. In her filing, Lively's legal team requested $7,495,526.87 in attorneys' fees and $539,514.01 in costs.

Lively's attorneys characterised Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios' litigation approach as "scorched-earth tactics" designed to exhaust her resources. The memorandum submitted by her legal team cited near-daily press campaigns, broad discovery demands, obstructed discovery and frequent court filings. Lively's attorneys stated the countersuit was intended to damage her reputation rather than succeed in court. The case now awaits judicial determination of the fee award requested.