Blake Lively Wins Partial Victory in Legal Dispute with Justin Baldoni

A federal judge awarded Blake Lively some legal fees in her dispute with Justin Baldoni. The award involves only the legal fees related to part of their court battle, with the exact amount yet to be determined. This decision follows her settlement with Baldoni’s production company concerning the 2024 movie “It Ends With Us.”

The settlement addressed retaliation claims by Ms. Lively, avoiding a high-profile trial in Federal District Court in Manhattan. While she did not receive financial compensation through the settlement, it left open the possibility of a different legal avenue for obtaining such compensation.

Lively’s lawyers referenced a California law intended to deter the use of defamation suits to silence harassment complaints. They aimed to apply this to Mr. Baldoni’s prior, unsuccessful defamation lawsuit against Lively. She alleged that Mr. Baldoni and his team retaliated against her online after she reported sexual harassment on the film set.

Mr. Baldoni’s legal team argued that Lively should not receive fees under this law, claiming that she misrepresented interactions as harassment to wield control over the film production. However, Judge Liman ruled in a 47-page order that Lively’s claims met the law’s criteria, which requires complaints of sexual misconduct to be made “without malice.”

Judge Liman noted that Mr. Baldoni and his associates failed to provide evidence that Lively acted with malice, emphasizing that allegations alone do not prove malicious intent. Lively’s lawyers have yet to specify the fees owed for defending against Baldoni’s dismissed defamation suit, and such calculations are often contested.

Lively originally sought treble damages and punitive damages, options under the California law, but Judge Liman determined she could pursue fees only, not damages, through the specific legal process utilized.

The settlement agreement prohibited either side from appealing Judge Liman’s ruling. Representatives for both Lively and Baldoni did not immediately comment on the outcome.