Blake Lively Requests $8 Million in Legal Fees From Justin Baldoni

Justin Baldoni's Lawyer Reacts to Blake Lively Declaring "Victory" Over Settlement

Blake Lively wants her money back.

Over a month after she and Justin Baldoni settled their yearslong It Ends With Us legal battle, her legal team has filed a motion seeking that Baldoni pay back her attorneys’ fees and litigation costs totaling more than $8 million.

According to a declaration filed by Esra Hudson, one of Lively’s attorneys, on June 29 and obtained by E! News June 30, the Gossip Girl alum is seeking $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees as well as $539,514.01 in costs and expenses incurred relating to her lawsuit against Baldoni and his company Wayfarer Studios.

In addition to the filing, Lively’s attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Hudson shared a statement reflecting on the legal case, which saw Baldoni's defamation suit against Lively dismissed by a judge.

“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 statement read. “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.”

E! News has reached out to Baldoni’s attorneys for comment but has not yet heard back.

Lively and Baldoni’s back-and-forth legal battle began in 2024 with Lively filing a lawsuit accusing Baldoni and parties of Wayfarer Studios of sexual harassment, only for the Jane the Virgin alum to file a countersuit alleging defamation. Baldoni’s suit was ultimately dismissed, while a judge dismissed 10 of Lively’s 13 allegations, leaving her allegations of retaliation, breach of contract and aiding and abetting retaliation to be examined during a trial that was due to begin May 18.

Taylor Hill/FilmMagic; James Devaney/GC Images

Baldoni and Lively, however, ultimately settled the case two weeks before the trial was due to begin.

Following the settlement, the former costars’ lawyers emphasized in a joint statement that It Ends With Us—which chronicles a woman overcoming an abusive relationship—“is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life.”

"Raising awareness, and making a meaningful impact in the lives of domestic violence survivors—and all survivors—is a goal that we stand behind,” the May 4 statement to NBC News continued, with the lawyers saying they all "acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard."

Both parties also emphasized the takeaways they’ll carry with them moving forward.

"We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments,” the statement noted. “It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment.”

For more on everything that went down following the release of the Colleen Hoover adaptation, read on.

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