Blake Lively is set to receive slightly over $400,000 out of the $8 million she had initially requested in legal fees from actor and director Justin Baldoni following the resolution of their dispute over their 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” according to a federal judge’s ruling on Wednesday.
Judge Lewis J. Liman outlined in a written decision in Manhattan the reasons why Lively was not granted the full amount she had claimed her lawyers spent after Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, countered her December 2024 lawsuit with their own claims.
Despite acknowledging the intense legal battle between Lively and Baldoni, the judge withheld the majority of the legal fees she sought, referring to a California law that aims to safeguard survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory legal actions.
The judge clarified that the law, intended to shield sexual abuse survivors from lawsuits meant to intimidate and silence them, only permitted reimbursement for expenses related to defending against defamation claims rather than all of Baldoni’s claims against her.
Consequently, the judge ruled that Lively is entitled to $363,245 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206 in costs.
Requests for comments were dispatched to representatives of both Baldoni and Lively.
In her lawsuit, Lively alleged instances of sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy.
Baldoni, who directed and acted alongside Lively in the dark romantic drama, refuted the allegations of harassment or orchestrating a smear campaign. He contended that Lively fabricated the complaints to seize creative control of the movie.
Following Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni and Wayfarer retaliated with counterclaims against Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, citing civil extortion, defamation, invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing, and economic interference.
Liman dismissed the countersuit filed by Baldoni and Wayfarer in June 2025 and subsequently rejected Lively’s sexual harassment claims almost a year later, citing her status as an independent contractor rather than an employee during the film’s production.
Prior to a scheduled trial in early May, Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement, expressing in a joint statement that Lively’s concerns warranted attention and reaffirming their commitment to fostering workplaces free of misconduct and unproductive environments.
The film “It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel portraying a relationship descending into domestic violence, was released in August 2024. Despite exceeding box office projections, the film garnered criticism for glorifying abuse. The discord between Lively and Baldoni diverted attention from the film, overshadowing its message and success.
During filming, Lively claimed that Baldoni made inappropriate remarks about her appearance, violated personal boundaries while shooting a love scene, and pressured for nudity against her wishes in a scene depicting her character giving birth.
Baldoni refuted any actions beyond the norm in the creative filmmaking process.
Lively’s acting credits include the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the TV series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012, with subsequent film roles in “The Town” and “The Shallows.”
Baldoni starred in the TV show “Jane the Virgin,” directed the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart,” and authored “Man Enough,” a book challenging conventional ideals of masculinity.
