Los Angeles, August 27, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Hollywood actress Blake Lively has been awarded about $400,000 in attorneys’ fees and court costs in her legal dispute with “It Ends With Us” co-star Justin Baldoni, although the amount is far below what she had sought.
US District Judge Lewis Liman on Wednesday awarded Lively $363,000 in attorneys’ fees and another $44,000 in court costs. The ruling came after Lively sought reimbursement for expenses incurred while defending herself against Baldoni’s failed defamation lawsuit.
Lively had sought $7.5 million in attorneys’ fees and $540,000 in court costs. Liman ruled that she was entitled only to reasonable fees related to defending against the defamation claim.
While the judge found that the billing rates charged by Lively’s lawyers were not unreasonable considering the complexity and high stakes of the case, he concluded that the number of hours claimed was unreasonable.
Lively and Baldoni settled their wider legal battle in May, avoiding a federal trial that had been scheduled for later that month. Their settlement left the attorneys’ fee issue as the remaining matter before the court. No money changed hands as part of the settlement itself.
Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman described the fee ruling as a significant victory for his clients, noting that Lively received only about five per cent of the amount she had requested.
Lively’s attorneys Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, however, said the ruling demonstrated that there are consequences for bringing what they described as retaliatory lawsuits and maintained that Lively’s case was about accountability.
The legal battle began after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of “It Ends With Us” and alleged that he and others retaliated against her. Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a defamation lawsuit, which was later dismissed.
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