Blake Lively has requested Justin Baldoni pay her more than $8 million in legal fees, according to new court documents obtained by Page Six.
In a filing submitted Monday in New York, the actress sought $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees and $539,514.01 in litigation costs and expenses from her explosive legal battle with her “It Ends With Us” co-star and his Wayfarer Studios.
Lively’s legal team said the work required to defeat Baldoni’s now-dismissed $400 million defamation lawsuit was “comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured.”
The attorneys added that their 38-year-old client “has paid and continues to pay” her legal bills and will seek “any additional attorneys’ fees” incurred in her latest legal request.
The filing also mentioned “significant press attention, with thousands of indexed and syndicated media articles” that increased the legal costs of the case, noting that Lively has produced more than 7,000 documents since the legal war began.
Judge Lewis J. Liman ordered Baldoni, 42, and Wayfarer Studios to respond to Lively’s request by July 13.
After that, Liman will decide whether to reward the full amount, reduce it or deny the request completely, according to the court documents.
Lively’s lawyers, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, told Page Six, “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 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,” their statement continued.
Page Six has reached out to Baldoni’s reps for comment.
Lively won her bid to seek legal fees from Baldoni earlier this month.
However, Liman denied Lively’s request for triple damages and punitive damages, which she can still seek by other means like an independent lawsuit or a counterclaim.
In May, Lively settled her 2024 suit against Baldoni, in which the actress claimed the actor sexually harassed her on the set of “It Ends With Us.”
The duo resolved the legal saga just two weeks before their trial was set to start on May 18.
Both Lively and Baldoni’s legal teams have claimed victory in the outcome.
While the pair earned no money in their lawsuit settlement, sources told Page Six Hollywood that their legal teams made $60 million combined through the process.
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