Justin Baldoni is contesting Blake Lively's demand for approximately $8.3 million to cover her legal fees following their May settlement in the litigation surrounding the film "It Ends With Us." In filings submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday, Baldoni's attorneys characterized Lively's request as "anything but a typical fee motion," urging a judge to dismiss it.
According to Baldoni's legal team, Lively is seeking $7,495,526 for the 7,070.20 hours billed by at least 82 individuals to secure the dismissal of a single defamation claim at the pleading stage. The filing contrasts this with The New York Times' request for $181,000 in legal fees filed in state court for its motion to dismiss the same defamation claim.
Baldoni's lawyers assert that Lively's team could not have reasonably spent over 7,000 hours preparing the dismissal motion. They claim a review of Lively’s submission shows multiple lawyers attending the same hearings, numerous charges for inter-attorney conferences, and what they describe as "extremely excessive research and online investigation."
Following the dismissal of defamation claims made by Baldoni, Judge Lewis J. Liman had indicated that Lively could seek to recover her legal fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1. However, Baldoni's legal team argues that Lively is broadly interpreting this section to include fees related to "Wayfarer’s eight non-defamation claims and Lively’s fifteen affirmative claims," which she contended were "inextricably intertwined."
Baldoni's attorneys further stated that Lively's affirmative claims, including those for sexual harassment, were unsuccessful, either dismissed on summary judgment or voluntarily withdrawn. Therefore, they argue, she is not entitled to fees under FEHA or Title VII. The filing also notes that Lively's fee request is "so over-inclusive that it sweeps in fees for researching her own liability for perjury arising from her California CRD claim and her Rule 11 motion for which the court has already denied fees."
Baldoni's legal team contends that any fees awarded should be significantly reduced for several reasons. They state that Lively has not provided billing statements or other records to support her $7.5 million demand, nor has she allocated fees to her defense of Wayfarer’s defamation claim. Other factors cited include Lively's inability to prove that the requested amount is based on reasonable hours and rates, a lack of supporting evidence for her claims, and flawed calculations regarding recoverable fees.
Additionally, Lively's lawyers are requesting $539,514.01 in costs and expenses without providing evidence to substantiate these costs or link them to tasks covered by Section 47.1. Baldoni's attorneys are asking Judge Liman to either deny Lively's request entirely or substantially reduce the amount.
"In sum, Lively fails to meet her burden to present credible evidence showing that the fees and costs she seeks to recover are reasonable and, accordingly, her fee motion should be denied in its entirety," Baldoni's lawyers stated in the filing. "At minimum, the Court should substantially reduce the request, using as a benchmark the $181,622.70 the Times sought after securing dismissal of Count II on its separate motion to dismiss – the same outcome Lively achieved."
An insider close to Lively told TMZ that Baldoni's team's assertion that the defamation claim is the only actionable item contradicts statutory language stating "successful defense of the litigation" rather than the "claim." The insider believes Baldoni's team is aware of this inaccuracy in their opposition.
The legal dispute between Baldoni and Lively began approximately a year and a half ago. In December 2024, Lively filed a lawsuit against Baldoni alleging sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. In April, a judge dismissed 10 of the 13 claims in Lively's initial filing, including all claims against Baldoni personally, such as sexual harassment, conspiracy, and defamation.
The remaining claims against the studio and production company for retaliation and breach of contract were settled two weeks before a scheduled May 18 trial, without any payment exchanged. Lively had accused Baldoni of sexual harassment, including body shaming, and of orchestrating a smear campaign against her.
Claims against several of Baldoni's collaborators, including Wayfarer Studios, its CEO, financial backer, and PR personnel, were either dismissed or settled without payment. Baldoni had previously sought $250 million in damages from The New York Times, alleging defamation related to a published report, which he later added to a $400 million lawsuit filed in January 2025. That suit was dismissed in June 2025, with all parties denying the allegations.
The film "It Ends With Us" grossed $148 million domestically and $350 million globally. Based on Colleen Hoover's 2016 novel, the movie depicted a toxic relationship between characters Lily Bloom, played by Lively, and Ryle Kincaid, played by Baldoni.