Justin BaldoniLawyers 's gun back Blake Livelyrequest for It ends with us director to pay nearly $8 million in legal fees after their latest settlement.
“Lively fails to meet her burden of presenting substantial evidence showing that the fees and expenses she seeks to recover are reasonable and, therefore, her claim must be denied in its entirety,” Baldoni's attorneys said. Ellyn S. Garofalo again Bryan Freedman were challenged in the court received by Us Weekly Monday, July 13.
The legal team for Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios issued a fiery response to Lively's June 29 request that the filmmaker be held liable for $8,035,040.88 in attorneys' fees and other costs — which Freedman, 61, and Garofalo dismissed as “hard” money in Monday's filing. (TMZ was the first to report the filing.)
“This is not an ordinary proposal,” his lawyers insisted in Monday's motion.
His lawyers compared Lively's request to New York Times seeking $181,622.70 in attorneys' fees “to effectively dismiss the same defamation claim,” referring to Baldoni's defamation suit against the newspaper. (Baldoni sued New York Times for $250 million for allegedly engaging in a “defamation campaign” against Lively but the case was dismissed in June 2025.)
Monday's motion raised the “excessive” expectation that Baldoni, 42, pay 7,070.20 statutory hours “billed to no less than 82 timekeepers, to dismiss one defamation claim during the trial.”
“A general review of Lively's submissions shows many lawyers in the same cases, many cases of lawyers meeting, giving each other, or planning strategies, and to put it mildly, excessive research and online investigations,” Baldoni's lawyers said.
Baldoni eventually requested that the R8 million request of Lively, 38, be rejected outright or “drastically reduced.” Now it will be up to the Judge Lewis J. Liman to determine the exact costs that Baldoni will have to pay, if any.
Us has reached out to representatives for Baldoni and Lively for comment.
In December 2024, Lively sued him It ends with us costar and director of sexual harassment and organizing an alleged smear campaign. Baldoni vehemently denied Lively's accusations and appealed, although his case was dismissed in court in June 2025.
After Baldoni's case was dismissed, attorneys for both sides engaged in a lengthy discovery process that included text messages from Baldoni. Taylor Swift, Ryan Reynolds, Jenny Slate again Ben Affleck emancipation by court.
Justin Baldoni; Blake Lively
Getty Images (2); Frazer Harrison; Dimitrios Kambouris/TIMEAs the May trial date approaches, Baldoni and Lively's lawyers released a joint statement on May 4 to confirm that they have resolved the legal dispute.
“The final product – the movie It ends with us – is a source of pride for all of us who have worked to bring it to life. Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact on the lives of domestic violence survivors — and all survivors — is the mission behind it,” Lively and Baldoni said in a statement. Us through their lawyers on May 4. “We appreciate the program that brought the challenges and we see the concerns raised by Ms. Lively that should have been listened to.”
Their statement continued, “We are firmly committed to workplaces free of inappropriate and unproductive conditions. It is our sincere hope that this will bring closure and allow all parties involved to move forward in a constructive and peaceful manner, including a respectful online environment.”
However, the legal battle between the two sides continued on June 12 when Judge Liman ruled that Baldoni was responsible for paying Lively's legal fees under a 2023 California law intended to protect sexual harassment accusers from defamation retaliation suits. (Liman rejected Lively's request for treble damages and punitive damages.)
On June 29, Lively's lawyers asked Judge Liman to award the actress $8,035,040.88 in attorneys' fees and costs related to Baldoni's defamation suit. The total came down to $7,495,526.87 in attorneys' fees and $539,514.01 in legal fees and expenses incurred as part of the “successful defense of the Highway Patrol Action.”
Blake Lively's attorney is speaking out against allegations that the actress and Justin Baldoni spent a whopping $60 million on lawsuits. On Monday, May 4, It Ends With Us announced that they had settled their legal battle after Lively, 38, sued Baldoni and his Wayfarer Studios for sexual harassment, retaliation and breach of contract, […]
“As a result of this historic decision, those who consider using the case as a weapon of intimidation are informed that there are consequences for doing so,” Lively's lawyers said in a statement. Us at that time. “The importance of this decision lies in the precedent it sets, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides to those who may find themselves facing similar retaliation for telling the truth.”
Judge Liman gave Baldoni's lawyers until July 13 to respond, prompting Freedman to file a motion in court on Monday.
Before this latest legal filing, Justin and his wife, Emily Baldonibroke their silence with an Instagram video message on Wednesday, July 8.
“We heal, and if you've ever been through something painful, you know that healing is not linear,” Justin emphasized. “It looks different every day, and we've had to rethink what's real and what's important and that's it, our family, our friends, our community. [who] he has been there for us, it is our faith.”
He continued, “I think we are closer and more committed and rooted in our faith than ever before. And, and this was in both of our hearts, there were so many of you who, when we didn't have a voice, became our voice. … because of so many of you and all our friends and family.”
