Blake Lively can recover some legal costs from co-star Justin Baldoni, but not punitive damages and other relief she sought after her legal claims over the 2024 film “It Ends With Us” were settled, a judge ruled Friday.
Justin Baldoni was ordered to pay Blake Lively’s legal fees
Judge Lewis J. Liman said in a written decision that Lively can recover legal fees and costs associated with defending against Baldoni’s counterclaim after she is sued in December 2024.In Friday’s written ruling, Liman cited a California law designed to protect survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits that intimidate and silence victims.The judge said the law requires the plaintiff to pay the defendant’s legal fees and costs if a defamation claim filed in response to a lawsuit is dismissed, even if the facts of the case have not been developed through the collection of evidence.Liman said it would be an exception if Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, could prove malice fueled Lively’s claims, but Baldoni and Wayfarer did not present evidence to show that.
Judge dismisses Blake Lively punitive damages
The judge also rejected treble damages and punitive damages under California law, saying they were not “carefully crafted by federal procedural rules designed to protect the rights of the parties.”Lively and Baldoni settled most of their dispute last month as the trial of Lively’s retaliation claims was about to begin. He received no money from the settlement, but was allowed to pay legal fees.
Victory for Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
In their statements, both sides considered Liman’s verdict a victory.Living attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson said the statutory fee award “makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith, that there was no evidence of malice, and that she is the primary defendant.”
Blake Lively “threatened” Justin Baldoni, says lawyer
Bryan Freedman, Baldoni’s lawyer, said Lively failed to get her $300 million in fees and damages as the judge threw out 10 or 13 claims before reaching the settlement, then “pivoted to exploit a California law” to get damages.“Once again, he failed,” he said, noting that he was entitled to limited attorney’s fees for a single claim in a portion of the lawsuit that had been pending for a few months now.The lawyer said his client was “threatened by one of the most famous movie stars who tried to take away his life’s work and perfect reputation”.“Throughout this process, innocent people had their reputations unfairly tarnished. There was no sexual harassment. There was no retaliation. There was no smear campaign. The court recognized it, the record reflects it, and we’ve maintained it from the beginning,” Freedman said.
About Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal battle
Lively accused Baldoni, along with her production company, of sexual harassment and retaliation in late 2024. He said that the actor tried to damage his public reputation and credibility.Baldoni, who directed the dark romantic drama and co-starred with Lively, denied harassing her or orchestrating an advertising campaign. He said the complaints about his behavior were made by Lively as part of an effort to gain creative control of the film. She countersued, accusing Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.Liman dropped the lawsuit against Baldoni last year and then dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims last week, saying he could not bring them because he was an independent contractor rather than an employee on a movie set.“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s best-selling 2016 novel about a relationship suffering from domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and exceeded expectations at the box office.
Filmography of Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni
Lively appeared in the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the TV series “Gossip Girl” from 2007 to 2012 before starring in the films “The Town” and “The Shallows.”Baldoni starred in the TV comedy “Jane the Virgin,” directed the 2019 film “Five Feet Apart,” and wrote the book “Man Enough,” a book that challenges traditional notions of masculinity.
