Blake Lively Vs Justin Baldoni: It Ends With Us Actress Seeks Whopping $8 Million In Attorney Fees

The

legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni is not yet over! Although the defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni was dismissed and Lively later withdrew her own lawsuit before trial, the courtroom battle might go on for a while. The It Ends With Us actress has now asked the court to award her nearly $8 million in attorney fees and legal expenses incurred while defending herself against Baldoni's defamation claims. Looks like, the animosity between both parties has not ended with the dismissed lawsuit - Blake is ready to go the court to demand a hefty attorney fees.

Blake Lively Seeks $8 Million From Justin Baldoni

According to newly filed court documents, Blake Lively has requested approximately $8 million (around 75 crore INR) in legal fees and costs following her Justin Baldoni's defamation lawsuit being dropped last year. Her legal team stated that the actress incurred around $7.5 million in attorney fees while defending herself against the $400 million lawsuit filed by Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios.In addition to attorney fees, Lively reportedly spent approximately $540,000 on legal expenses, bringing the total amount sought to nearly $8 million. The billing records reportedly show that some attorneys charged rates as high as $2,187 per hour during the litigation process.

In their latest filing, Lively's attorneys argued that awarding legal fees would help discourage similar lawsuits in the future. According to the motion, the legal action was intended to intimidate and retaliate against the actress rather than succeed in court. The filing stated that the lawsuit aimed to portray Lively as dishonest, influence witnesses and media coverage, and discourage other individuals from speaking out.Despite the substantial amount requested, the nearly $8 million figure reportedly represents only a portion of the expenses Lively incurred during approximately 18 months of legal proceedings. The request does not include costs associated with her own lawsuit against Baldoni and others, which reportedly involved extensive discovery, depositions, document reviews, legal motions, and public relations efforts. Lively eventually withdrew her lawsuit shortly before the scheduled trial in May, and no financial settlement was reached between the parties.

All About It Ends With Us Controversy And Lawsuit

The dispute originated after Lively accused her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni of sexually harassing her during the making of the film. She also alleged that Baldoni had orchestrated an online campaign against her after she raised concerns regarding her treatment.Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios strongly denied the allegations and responded with a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds. The lawsuit accused the couple of using false allegations to damage Baldoni's reputation and gain creative control over the film.

The defamation lawsuit was eventually dismissed after the court ruled that Lively's allegations were protected under litigation privilege. Judge Lewis Liman later determined that Lively qualified for attorney fees under a California law enacted in 2023, which aims to protect individuals who report s*xual abuse or harassment from retaliatory defamation lawsuits. However, the judge declined her request for additional damages. The ruling allowed Lively to continue pursuing compensation specifically for the legal costs associated with defending the defamation claims.Justin Baldoni's legal team has so far declined to comment publicly on Lively's demands.