Blake Lively is requesting nearly $8 million in attorneys’ fees and court costs from Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios following the dismissal of his defamation lawsuit against her. In new legal documents, the actress is asking a judge to grant her $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees plus $539,514.01 in court costs and expenses incurred while defending herself.
The request comes after a federal judge ruled that Lively is entitled to recover legal fees under a California law designed to protect those who report sexual misconduct from retaliatory defamation claims. The judge found that Baldoni’s side failed to show Lively acted with malice when making her allegations, though he denied her request for treble damages and punitive damages.
The attorneys’ fees request stems from Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively, which was dismissed last year. Under their May settlement agreement, Lively received no financial compensation but preserved the right to pursue attorneys’ fees and damages related to the dismissed counterclaim under California Civil Code Section 47.1.
Baldoni’s attorney, Bryan Freedman, pushed back, arguing that Lively “was only awarded limited attorney fees for a single claim” and that her bid for damages “failed.” He added: “There was no sexual harassment. There was no retaliation. There was no smear campaign. The court recognized it, the record reflects it”.
The court will now assess the reasonableness of Lively’s fee request, which is expected to face opposition from Baldoni’s legal team. As part of the settlement, both sides agreed to waive any appeal of Judge Liman’s ruling on the matter.
