Justin Baldoni Rejects Blake Lively's $8 Million Legal Fee Demand

Actor Justin Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios have formally rejected Blake Lively's request for over $8 million in legal fees, following the dismissal of Baldoni's defamation lawsuit. The legal battle, which stems from a dispute during the promotion of the film It Ends With Us, saw Lively seek $8,035,040.88 in attorney fees and costs after a judge dismissed Baldoni's $400 million defamation claim in June 2025. Source: infobae

The Rejection

Baldoni's legal team, led by attorney Bryan Freedman, filed a response on July 13, 2026, arguing that Lively's fee request is "exorbitant" and lacks credible evidence. The filing noted that Lively's claim covers 7,070.20 billable hours from at least 82 professionals—a figure they deemed excessive for defeating a single defamation claim at the pleading stage. Source: infobae The defense contrasted this with The New York Times, which sought only $181,622.70 in fees for dismissing a similar $250 million defamation lawsuit from Baldoni. Source: infobae

The Dispute Over Scope

Excelsior México reported that Baldoni's lawyers accuse Lively of including costs unrelated to the defamation case, such as investigating her own potential perjury. The team proposed that any awarded fees be capped at a six-figure amount. A source close to Lively countered that California law permits reimbursement for successful litigation defense, not just specific claims, and noted that the judge had consolidated the cases. Source: excelsiormx

What's Next

Judge Lewis J. Liman, who previously ruled Baldoni liable for Lively's fees under a 2023 California law protecting sexual abuse victims from retaliatory defamation suits, will decide the final amount. The broader legal feud ended in May 2026 with a settlement, but the fee dispute remains unresolved. Source: infobae