Blake Lively Awarded More Than $400,000 in Legal Fees From Justin Baldoni

A federal judge has awarded Blake Lively more than $400,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs stemming from a defamation claim brought against her by Justin Baldoni and others connected to Wayfarer Studios.

U.S. District Judge Lewis J. Liman awarded Lively $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs Wednesday, bringing the total to $407,451.75. The award is a fraction of the roughly $8 million Lively’s legal team had sought.

Liman had previously ruled that Lively could recover reasonable expenses tied to defending the defamation claim under California Civil Code Section 47.1. Her attorneys sought about $7.5 million in fees and another $539,000 in costs.

The judge found that the lawyers’ hourly rates were not unreasonable, but concluded that the number of hours claimed went beyond what the statute allowed. He limited the award largely to work tied directly to defending the defamation allegations.

Section 47.1 protects certain statements made by people who report sexual assault, harassment, or discrimination. It also allows defendants who successfully defeat covered defamation claims to recover reasonable legal fees and costs.

The legal dispute grew out of Lively’s allegations that Baldoni sexually harassed her and retaliated against her during and after production of “It Ends With Us.” Baldoni denied the allegations.

Baldoni and Wayfarer later filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, and others, accusing them of defamation, civil extortion, and other wrongdoing. Liman dismissed the lawsuit, including the defamation claim that became the basis for Lively’s request for legal fees.

Baldoni attorney Bryan Freedman pointed to the sharp reduction from Lively’s original request, arguing that the ruling showed the statute could not be used to shift costs tied to the broader litigation onto his clients.

Lively’s attorneys, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, emphasized that the court awarded fees under the statute and said the ruling imposed a financial consequence for the defamation claims brought against their client.

Lively’s own lawsuit was also narrowed before trial, with Liman dismissing several claims while allowing others, including retaliation claims, to continue.

The remaining litigation was settled in May before trial. The agreement did not require a financial payment between Lively and Baldoni, but preserved Lively’s request for attorneys’ fees and costs tied to the dismissed defamation claim.

The parties agreed not to appeal the court’s determination of that request. Liman’s latest order directs that judgment be entered for Lively in the amount of $407,451.75.