There’s yet another update in the legal drama surrounding Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, and this time, it involves a whole lot of money.
The legal war between the It Ends With Us co-stars has been filled with intense allegations and months of courtroom back-and-forth. While the broader dispute was ultimately settled earlier this year, one major question was still left unresolved: how much, if anything, would the film and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, have to contribute toward the Gossip Girl star’s legal bills? Now, a federal judge has provided the answer. Read more about it below.
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Blake Lively And Justin Baldoni's Legal Battle Came To An End Earlier This Year
The legal dispute between the two performers began in late 2024, when the actress accused the Jane The Virgin star, who directed and starred in It Ends With Us, and others involved in Wayfarer of harassment and alleged that she dealt with a smear campaign after speaking up about her experience while making the movie.
Justin denied the allegations and later filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and others, accusing them of defamation, extortion, and other wrongdoing.
The cases continued to play out in federal court until this June, when Justin's defamation-related claims against his former co-star were dismissed and a judge decided to order that he pay Blake's legal fees.
Justin Baldoni And Wayfarer Now Know The Exact Amount Blake Lively Will Get
At first, as reported by People, the Blake Brown founder's attorneys had asked the court for $8,035,040.88 in fees and litigation costs, noting that the work they did throughout the case was necessary to defeat Justin's defamation claims. That request included $7,495,526.87 in attorney fees and $539,514.01 in litigation costs.
Judge Liman, who worked on their lawsuits, ultimately determined that Blake could not recover for every legal expense she incurred during the entire lawsuit, so it was decided that Justin and his production company had to ensure she was awarded $407,451.75 total, with $363,245.40 in attorney fees and $44,206.35 in costs.
The ruling also rejected compensation for certain work, including media relations, which the judge said was not integral to defending against the defamation claim. That means the final award is only about 5% of the more than $8 million Blake initially sought, bringing another major financial chapter of the Baldoni-Lively saga to a close.
