The legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively may have reached a settlement on its central claims, but one significant dispute is still unfolding inside the courtroom.
Baldoni has formally asked a federal judge to deny—or dramatically reduce—Lively’s request for more than $8 million in attorneys’ fees and litigation costs following the dismissal of his defamation-related claims against her.
According to court documents filed on Monday, July 13, and obtained by People, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios argue that Lively’s request far exceeds what would be considered reasonable under similar legal circumstances.
The filing describes the application as “anything but a typical fee motion” and challenges both the number of hours billed and the rates charged by Lively’s legal team.
One of Baldoni’s central arguments compares Lively’s request to a separate legal battle involving The New York Times.
After Baldoni previously sued the newspaper for $250 million over its reporting on the dispute, the publication sought reimbursement of $181,622.70 in attorneys’ fees after successfully obtaining dismissal of the same defamation claim.
Baldoni’s attorneys argue that Lively achieved a similar legal outcome but is now requesting more than $8 million, creating what they characterize as a disproportionate gap.
The filing also questions how Lively’s legal team staffed the case.
According to Baldoni’s attorneys, the litigation involved 82 different timekeepers who collectively billed 7,070.20 hours.
They argue that multiple attorneys attended the same hearings, excessive internal meetings were billed to the client, and significant amounts of time were devoted to legal research and strategy discussions.
“The most cursory review of Lively’s submission shows multiple lawyers at the same hearings, numerous charges for lawyers conferencing, conferring, or strategizing with one another, and to put it mildly, extremely excessive research and online investigation,” the filing alleges.
Beyond legal fees, Baldoni’s attorneys also challenged Lively’s request for an additional $539,514.01 in litigation expenses, describing that figure as “a whopping” amount.
The filing ultimately asks Judge Lewis Liman either to reject the request entirely or substantially reduce any award.
“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,” the filing argues. “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.”
The dispute stems from the production and promotion of It Ends With Us, which sparked months of high-profile litigation between Lively and Baldoni.
Lively first filed suit against Baldoni in late 2024, alleging sexual harassment, retaliation and related claims connected to the film’s production. Baldoni denied the allegations and responded with a $400 million countersuit against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds and others, alleging defamation and related claims.
Judge Lewis Liman dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit, ruling that the defamation-related claims could not proceed. Earlier this year, the parties reached a broader settlement that resolved the remaining litigation between them. However, the agreement specifically left one major issue unresolved: whether Baldoni should be required to reimburse Lively for the legal fees and litigation costs she incurred while defending against his countersuit.
Following that ruling and settlement, Lively asked the court to award $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees and $539,514.01 in litigation costs under California Civil Code Section 47.1, arguing that her legal team successfully defeated Baldoni’s defamation-related claims and that the work performed throughout the case was both necessary and reasonable.
According to her filing, the legal team handled extensive discovery, motion practice and document review involving more than 7,000 documents produced by Lively herself, along with tens of thousands of additional records from Wayfarer Studios and third parties.
Her attorneys argued that the legal work was “comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured,” adding that Lively “has paid, and continues to pay” those legal bills.
They also indicated they intend to seek reimbursement for any additional legal work connected to litigating the fee request itself.
After submitting the motion, Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, said the issue extends beyond simply recovering legal expenses.
“Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so,” the attorneys said in a statement. “The value of this ruling is in the precedent it creates, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides to those who may one day find themselves facing similar retaliation for speaking the truth.”
Meanwhile, Baldoni recently addressed the broader legal battle publicly for the first time.
Appearing alongside his wife, Emily Baldoni, in an Instagram video posted on July 8, the actor and director reflected on the emotional toll of the past two years.
Emily acknowledged the support they have received while emphasizing that healing remains ongoing.
She said that although they feel “immense gratitude” toward those who stood by them, it “doesn’t negate the injustice and the pain that we have also felt in the last few years,” adding that the experience created “a lot of trauma” for their family.
Justin echoed those sentiments.
“We don’t even know if this is the right thing to say,” he admitted. “We just know we need to share something. What I will say is that there have been so many painful things that have been spoken into existence over the last couple of years. That created so much noise, and we didn’t want to add to the noise. So we just wanted to let the justice system run its course.”
Judge Liman will ultimately determine whether Lively’s legal expenses should be reimbursed in full, reduced or denied altogether, making this one of the final remaining issues stemming from one of Hollywood’s most closely watched legal disputes.
