Key facts
- Blake Lively is seeking $8 million in legal fees from Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios.
- The dispute stems from the production of the 2024 film "It Ends With Us."
- Lively had accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and him of orchestrating a smear campaign.
- Baldoni denied the allegations and countersued Lively for defamation and extortion.
- A judge dismissed Lively's sexual harassment claims and Baldoni's countersuit.
- Lively is entitled to recover some legal costs under a California law protecting harassment survivors.
Blake Lively is seeking $8 million in legal costs from actor and director Justin Baldoni following a dispute over the production of their 2024 film "It Ends With Us." Lively's lawyers disclosed the amount, which covers nearly $7.5 million in attorney's fees and about $500,000 in other expenses, in a court filing Tuesday.
Lively and Baldoni settled their dispute last month. Lively had sued Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, in December 2024, accusing them of conspiring to damage her reputation after she privately accused him of sexual harassment on set. Baldoni denied the allegations and countersued Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and their publicist for defamation and extortion.
Judge Lewis J. Liman dismissed Baldoni's countersuit and Lively's sexual harassment claims. However, the judge ruled that Lively is entitled to recover some legal costs she incurred after Baldoni filed a countersuit against her, citing a California law designed to protect survivors of sexual harassment from retaliatory lawsuits. The judge must still approve the amount Lively is seeking.
Lively's lawyers argued that Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios "employed scorched-earth litigation tactics designed to drain Lively’s resources." They stated that the defendants could have ended the dispute earlier and should reimburse Lively for costs they improperly forced her to incur.
Baldoni's legal team has not yet commented on the filing. The film "It Ends With Us," an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel, was released in August 2024 and performed well at the box office.