Blake Lively is asking a U.S. court to order Justin Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, to pay more than $8 million in legal fees and expenses.
The request comes after Lively and Baldoni settled their high-profile legal dispute in May 2026, just before a federal trial in Manhattan was set to begins
In the Wayfarer Action, Lively succeeded in every conceivable measure,” the filing states. “All of the Wayfarer Parties’ claims — which were brought as a strategy to sue her ‘into oblivion’ — were dismissed with prejudice and abandoned without amendment or appeal.
Lively first filed a complaint and later a lawsuit accusing Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation. She alleged that Wayfarer Studios retaliated against her for raising concerns and organized what she called a “smear campaign” to damage her reputation.
Baldoni and Wayfarer denied the allegations. In January 2025, Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation. He also sued The New York Times for libel, claiming the outlet worked with Lively to smear him.
U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims and threw out Baldoni’s $400-million defamation suit against her and Reynolds. The judge found that Lively’s harassment accusations were legally protected, meaning they could not be the basis of a libel claim.
Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement last month, avoiding trial. Under the terms announced at the time, Lively received no settlement money. However, the judge ruled she could seek to recover legal costs she incurred defending Baldoni’s countersuit. The court still has to approve the final amount.
Baldoni’s lawyer, Ellyn Garofalo, told the court the matter was resolved without her client “paying a cent of the $300 million in damages she was demanding,” according to reports.
Lead attorney Michael Gottlieb of Willkie said his standard rate is $2,795 per hour but he billed at a discounted $2,187 for this matter. He logged 224 hours for $457,000 in fees on Lively’s defense against the Wayfarer Action.
Gottlieb also said more than 7,000 documents were produced during litigation, which his team described as “comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured.
“They could have ended it, and offered to reimburse Lively, at any time,” the filing says. “Having refused to do so, they should be ordered to reimburse Lively for all of the costs, attorney’s fees, and expenses they improperly forced her to incur.”
They cite a California law that allows a prevailing party to recover fees when a lawsuit is dismissed. Because Baldoni’s countersuit was thrown out, Lively’s team says she qualifies.
Baldoni and his lawyer have pushed back. Garofalo accused Lively of trying to do “an end run” around a trial that was canceled by the settlement, according to The Associated Press. She argued that reopening the matter would require new discovery, experts, and depositions.
In May, Baldoni’s lawyers asked a judge to deny any further proceedings on Lively’s fee request. Baldoni has until July 13 to respond to the current motion. Global News said it reached out to Baldoni’s representative but had not received a comment at the time of publication.
The end product — the movie It Ends With Us — is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life,” the statement read. “Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is a goal that we stand behind.”
The statement also said: “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”
Timeline of the disputeJudge Liman dismisses Lively’s harassment claims and Baldoni’s defamation suit. Parties settle before trial, with no money paid but fees still at issue the court will decide whether to award the fees Lively is requesting. Baldoni and Wayfarer have until July 13 to file their response. If approved, the order would require Baldoni’s side to reimburse Lively for the legal work done defending against their claims.
The case has drawn wide attention because it involves two well-known Hollywood figures and questions about workplace conduct, retaliation, and how defamation law applies to harassment allegations.
