Blake Lively is set to receive a sum 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 movie “It Ends With Us,” a federal judge confirmed on Wednesday.
Judge Lewis J. Liman detailed in a written judgment in Manhattan the reasons why Lively was not granted the full amount her legal team had claimed was expended after Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, filed their own responses to Lively’s lawsuit from December 2024.
Acknowledging the intense legal battle between Lively and Baldoni, the judge reduced the majority of the legal costs sought by Lively, citing the constraints of a California law aimed at shielding survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory legal actions.
The judge clarified that the law, designed to safeguard victims of sexual abuse from lawsuits intended to intimidate and silence them, only allowed for reimbursement of expenses incurred for defending against defamation allegations rather than all of Baldoni’s claims against her, as per Liman’s ruling.
Consequently, Lively has been granted $363,245 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206 in costs.
No comments have been received from Baldoni or Lively’s representatives.
Lively had alleged sexual harassment on the movie set, asserting claims of sexual harassment, retaliation, breach of contract, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy in her lawsuit.
Baldoni, who directed and starred alongside Lively in the dark romantic drama, denied harassing her or orchestrating any smear campaign. He contended that Lively’s complaints about his conduct were fabricated to seize creative control of the film.
Following Lively’s lawsuit, Baldoni and Wayfarer filed a countersuit against Lively and her spouse, actor Ryan Reynolds, for civil extortion, defamation, invasion of privacy, breach of good faith and fair dealing, and economic interference. In June 2025, Liman dismissed the countersuit and nearly a year later rejected Lively’s sexual harassment allegations, stating that she was an independent contractor, not an employee, during the movie production.
Just before a scheduled trial in early May, Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement, expressing in a joint statement that Lively’s concerns were valid and emphasizing their commitment to fostering workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.
“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel about a relationship descending into domestic violence, was released in August 2024. Despite criticisms that the film glorified abuse, it surpassed box office projections. However, the discord between Lively and Baldoni overshadowed the film’s message and success.
Lively’s lawsuit detailed instances where Baldoni made inappropriate remarks about her appearance, breached physical boundaries during filming of a love scene, and pressured for nudity against her wishes in a scene depicting her character giving birth.
Baldoni refuted any actions beyond the regular creative process of filmmaking.
Lively previously appeared in the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the TV series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012 before starring in movies such as “The Town” and “The Shallows.” Meanwhile, Baldoni featured in the TV comedy “Jane the Virgin,” directed the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart,” and authored “Man Enough,” a book challenging conventional masculinity concepts.