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Blake Lively is asking a federal judge to award her more than $8 million in attorneys' fees and litigation costs after successfully defending against Justin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit.
According to a June 29 filing, Lively is seeking $7.5 million in legal fees and $540,000 in litigation costs, totaling $8,035,040.88. Her attorneys argued the work was "comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured," noting the case's unusually high profile drove up costs with thousands of media articles and extensive discovery involving tens of thousands of documents.
Judge Lewis J. Liman has ordered Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios to respond by July 13, after which he will decide whether to award the full amount, reduce it, or deny portions of the request.
The dispute stems from the production and promotion of It Ends With Us, which escalated into lawsuits between Lively and Baldoni. The parties reached a settlement in May, weeks before trial, but left Lively's request for attorneys' fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1 for the court to decide. That statute protects individuals from retaliatory defamation lawsuits after reporting sexual harassment or retaliation.
Earlier this month, Judge Liman ruled that Lively qualified as a prevailing defendant under the law, allowing her to pursue reimbursement for legal fees, though he rejected her bid for treble and punitive damages. Lively's attorneys hailed the ruling as "another complete victory and a total vindication," while Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman countered that her claims had been thrown out and described her fee request as limited in scope.
The filing also revealed the steep billing rates involved: lead attorney Michael Gottlieb charged $2,187 per hour, slightly below his standard rate.
