Judge Cuts Lively's $8M Fee Bid to $400K

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that Blake Lively can recover about $407,000 in attorneys' fees and costs over Justin Baldoni's dismissed defamation lawsuit — a small fraction of the roughly $8 million she demanded.

Judge Lewis Liman awarded $363,245.40 in attorneys' fees and $44,206.35 in costs. Lively's team had sought $7,495,526.87 in fees and $539,514.01 in litigation costs and expenses.

The judge did not fault her lawyers' billing rates. He found the "number of hours for which Lively seeks reimbursement is unreasonable."

Why She Got Anything

Lively was entitled to fees only because of a 2023 California law written to deter defamation suits filed against people who raise sexual harassment claims — a fee-shifting rule that made Baldoni's dismissed countersuit expensive for his side.

Baldoni's production company had sued Lively for $400 million in defamation after she brought her own claims over the 2024 film "It Ends With Us." Her suit alleged sexual harassment, retaliation and breach of contract, among other charges. His case was dismissed.