30 June,2026 10:30 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Blake Lively and Jusgtin Baldoni. Pics via Instagram
Over a month after Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled their yearslong It Ends With Us legal row, the battle seems to have taken a new turn. Two weeks after a federal judge, Lewis J Liman, ruled that the actor-filmmaker and Wayfarer Studios must cover Lively's legal costs in their court dispute, the actress has now officially filed a motion demanding USD 8,035,040.88 (around Rs 75.61 crore) in legal fees.
According to E! News, Esra Hudson, one of Lively's attorneys, filed a declaration on June 29. As per the declaration, the Gossip Girl star is seeking USD 7,495,526.87 in attorneys' fees along with USD 539,514.01 in costs and expenses incurred from her lawsuit against Baldoni and his company, Wayfarer Studios.
Additionally, Lively's attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Hudson, also shared a statement reflecting on the legal case, wherein Baldoni's defamation suit against Lively was dismissed by a judge.
"Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so. The value of this ruling is in the precedent it creates, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides to those who may one day find themselves facing similar retaliation for speaking the truth," the statement read.
Lively and Baldoni's legal battle started in 2024 after Lively filed a lawsuit accusing Baldoni and parties of Wayfarer Studios of sexual harassment. Following Lively's lawsuit, Baldoni sued her over alleged defamation. Baldoni's suit was eventually dismissed, while a judge also dismissed 10 of Lively's 13 allegations. This led to her allegations of retaliation, breach of contract and aiding and abetting retaliation scheduled for examination during a trial that was due to begin May 18.
However, Baldoni and Lively ultimately settled the case two weeks before the trial. Following the settlement, both their lawyers shared a joint statement emphasising that It Ends With Us, which is about a woman overcoming an abusive relationship, "is a source of pride to all of us who worked to bring it to life."
