Actor Justin Baldoni is challenging Blake Lively’s demand for more than $8 million in legal fees following their settled It Ends With Us battle. Recent court documents reveal that Baldoni’s legal team is asking the judge to either deny Lively’s request entirely or reduce it to a six-figure amount.
Justin Baldoni wants Blake Lively’s $8 million legal bill slashed
As per the court document obtained by TMZ, Attorney Bryan Freedman reportedly filed the opposition on Baldoni’s behalf, calling Lively’s fee request bloated and lacking credible supporting evidence. The motion zeroes in on what the team sees as an overreach in scope. “Lively’s fee request is so over-inclusive that it sweeps in fees for researching her own liability for perjury arising from her California CRD claim and her Rule 11 motion for which the Court has already denied fees,” the filing states.
In other words, Baldoni’s side argues that Lively is attempting to charge him for legal work that reaches well beyond defeating his defamation claim. They insist a judge previously ruled she could recover fees only for that specific claim, not the sprawling litigation as a whole.
A source close to Lively disputes that interpretation. Speaking to TMZ, the source claimed the statute clearly refers to the “successful defense of the litigation,” not just one claim. The source added that Baldoni’s opposition sidesteps this statutory language entirely. The judge consolidated the cases, which no one contests.
This fee fight traces back to a judge dismissing Baldoni’s $400 million defamation lawsuit and ruling that Lively could recover attorneys’ fees incurred in connection with the lawsuit. The pair settled her remaining retaliation and breach of contract claims in May, pulling the plug on a trial.
Moreover, Baldoni and his wife Emily recently broke their public silence about the ordeal. In an Instagram video, he described the painful narratives that surfaced over two years. Emily acknowledged the family had endured considerable trauma and said the case’s resolution finally created space to speak openly. She questioned how such an experience could unfold while being framed as a fight for women.
Lively had originally sued Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios in December 2024, alleging sexual harassment on set and a retaliatory smear campaign.
