Blake Lively has asked a judge to award her $8 million in legal fees and costs to defend her defamation lawsuit against Justin Baldoni.
Ms. Lively accused her co-star and director Mr. Baldoni of sexually harassing her on the set of “It Ends With Us,” and that after she complained, he began a whisper campaign against her online. In response, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed a $400 million defamation lawsuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, accusing them of using false claims of harassment as weapons to gain control of the film.
The defamation lawsuit was dismissed last year after a judge ruled that Lively’s claims were protected by litigation privilege. Ms. Lively dropped her lawsuit against Ms. Baldoni, Wayfarer and others on the eve of her trial in May. No money was awarded in the settlement, but Lively was allowed to move forward with her complaint for fees.
Judge Louis Lehman agreed earlier this month that Lively should receive attorney fees under a 2023 California law aimed at protecting sexual abuse accusers from retaliatory defamation lawsuits. At the same time, it also rejected Lively’s claim for damages.
In a complaint filed Monday night, Lively’s lawyers said they billed her $7.5 million in fees (a whopping $2,187 per hour) in defending against the defamation suit. An additional $540,000 was spent on legal costs.
Her lawyers argued that the fee award would help deter frivolous and retaliatory lawsuits against her accusers in the future.
“This gross abuse of the legal system was never intended to prevail in court. Its purpose was to retaliate against Ms. Lively by labeling her a liar, intimidating witnesses and the media, and discouraging others from speaking out,” they wrote in the motion.
The $8 million fee is just a fraction of the legal costs Lively incurred during her 18-month case against Baldoni. The fee award does not cover any costs associated with her own case, which involved extensive depositions, other discovery, document review, litigation exercises, and public relations efforts.
Lively’s lead attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, praised the judge’s earlier ruling upholding the claim for damages for defending against a defamation lawsuit.
“Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using litigation as a means of intimidation now know the consequences of filing a lawsuit,” they said in a statement. “The value of this ruling lies in the precedent it sets, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides for those who may one day face similar retribution for telling the truth.”
Baldoni’s lawyer, Brian Friedman, had previously downplayed the judge’s ruling.
He noted that 10 of Lively’s 13 claims were dismissed by a judge earlier this month before the settlement. “As part of a lawsuit that lasted just a few months, Ms. Lively was awarded only limited attorney fees for one claim and no more.” “Even though all of her sexual harassment and defamation claims were dismissed in court, Ms. Lively then turned to exploiting a California law designed to protect the actual victims in what turned out to be a futile mission to obtain damages. Once again, she failed.”
Baldoni’s team declined to comment on the fee request, but will have an opportunity to respond in court before the amount is determined.
