Blake Lively awarded a fraction of what she sought in attorney’s fees from Justin Baldoni

A judge has awarded Blake Lively $US400,000 ($557,000) in attorney’s fees after her 18-month legal battle with Justin Baldoni.

It’s a figure far lower than the $US8 million ($11 million) she had originally sought, after the former co-stars settled their legal battle in May and avoided a federal trial that was scheduled for later that month.

On Wednesday, Judge Lewis J. Liman awarded Lively $US363,254 in attorney’s fees and an additional $44,206 in costs, after he found that Lively was entitled only to the “reasonable” fees related to the defamation suit.

Lively’s lawyers Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb released a statement to the outlet, saying Lively’s case was about “accountability, not money.”

“Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties lost their meritless retaliatory $400 million lawsuit, which two different courts held was designed to stifle public criticism and silence Blake Lively and others,” the statement reads.

“This first-ever award of fees and costs under this California law is historic, and demonstrates that there are real consequences of bringing retaliatory lawsuits. Blake Lively’s lawsuit exposed an industry of secret online smear campaigns that largely target women, and unsurprisingly involve the same players.

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“She lifted the curtain for other victims, and set the precedent for others to come forward and expose similar conduct. This result demonstrates that the legal system is not as easily manipulated as social media, and still functions as a force for accountability.”

The statement continued: “She lifted the curtain for other victims, and set the precedent for others to come forward and expose similar conduct. This result demonstrates that the legal system is not as easily manipulated as social media, and still functions as a force for accountability.”

Justin Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman had a different view.

“Today’s ruling speaks for itself. Judge Liman clearly considered the ‘outrageous and unreasonable’ $US8 million ($11 million) plus demand and, in rejecting it, awarded only 5 per cent of the amount sought in legal fees and costs,” a statement to multiple US outlets read.

“The ruling is a significant victory for my clients and sends a clear message that, no matter how powerful you may be, the courtroom is not a place to take advantage of the law for your own personal gain.”

The final ruling comes after the pair settled their dispute outside of court in May, abruptly ending their two-year court battle a fortnight before they were due to stand trial.

In December 2024, Lively sued Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios, alleging on-set sexual harassment, a hostile work environment and a calculated public relations “smear campaign” against her.

Baldoni denied the claims and fired back with a countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, alleging defamation and extortion. Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit in June 2025.

In her lawsuit, Lively said that during filming, Baldoni made inappropriate comments about her appearance, violated physical boundaries while filming a love scene, and pushed for nudity – against Lively’s wishes – during a scene in which her character was giving birth.

A month before the pair settled, a judge had thrown out 10 of Lively’s 13 claims, including her claim that Justin sexually harassed her. Three other claims were set to go ahead; breach of contract, retaliation and aiding and abetting in retaliation.

Baldoni denied doing anything outside the realm of the normal creative process of making a movie.