Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively have resolved part of their legal dispute with a settlement, but their courtroom battle is far from over. The latter is seeking $8 million to cover her legal fees, and Baldoni has responded with his own filing, requesting the judge to deny, or at least reduce, the amount. The latest filing follows Baldoni breaking his silence on the “It Ends With Us” legal dispute that began in 2024.
Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively settled their legal dispute in early May, just a couple of weeks before the trial was set to begin. The settlement had no monetary exchange from either side, and a confidentiality clause was also absent, which was unusual for such a high-profile case.
A federal judge ruled that the “Gossip Girl” actress was entitled to recover legal costs in connection with Baldoni’s defamation countersuit, which was dismissed. On June 30, her legal team submitted the details of her request amounting to roughly $8 million, as previously reported by The Blast.
Two weeks later, Baldoni’s team has responded. In a filing submitted to the courts on July 13 by attorney Bryan Freedman, Baldoni and Wayferer Studios have requested that the judge deny Lively’s bid completely, or at least “substantially reduce” the amount, which they deemed “excessive,” as noted in the documents.
Bryan Freedman Claims The Actress’ Team Had More Staff Than Needed
Lively’s legal fee request was detailed in her filing, with attorney’s fees amounting to $7,495,526.87 and additional costs at $539,514.01, totalling $8,035,040.85. The document also noted that Lively had been given discounts by her legal team.
The actress had two primary lawyers from top-tier law firms leading her case, Michael Gottlieb (Willkie Farr & Gallagher) and Esra Hudson (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips), who have their own litigation teams under them. Per the filing, Gottlieb’s hourly discounted rate for Lively was $2,187. He has been on Lively’s team since the legal battle began in December 2024, and he billed 224 hours.
Freedman argues that Lively’s team had more staff than needed and had too many billable hours. “The most cursory review of Lively’s submission shows multiple lawyers at the same hearings, numerous charges for lawyers conferencing, conferring, or strategizing with one another, and to put it mildly, extremely excessive research and online investigation,” Freedman’s filing noted.
Justin Baldoni’s Attorney Says Rates Are Exorbitant
Per Lively’s filing, her entire team accumulated 7,070.20 hours of billable work throughout her battle with Baldoni and the Wayferer parties. Freedman argues that is “20 times the number of hours courts have found reasonable in defending similar high-profile defamation actions, even those with ‘complicated and underdeveloped’ legal questions.”
Moreover, Baldoni’s lawyer argued that the law firms of Lively’s attorneys charge excessive rates, and in her filing she failed to include credentials to justify the rates recorded. “Lively recognizes that reasonableness requires an assessment of each lawyer’s expertise and experience yet fails to provide biographical information for 71 of the 82 timekeepers,” Freedman noted.
Blake Lively’s Request Compared To New York Times Defamation Case
At the beginning of the “It Ends With Us” legal battle, Baldoni and Wayferer Studios sued The New York Times for libel and defamation over its publication of an exposé. Baldoni’s lawsuit was dismissed, and he was later asked to pay legal costs amounting to $181,000, as requested by the publication.
Freedman is comparing that amount to Lively’s request for legal fees, noting that the actress’ filing is overreaching. “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 document reads.
Overall, Baldoni’s team claims Lively failed to provide credible evidence supporting her recoverable fees and is asking the court to deny or reduce the amount considerably.
Justin Baldoni Has Spoken About The Case
Baldoni has remained silent throughout his legal battle with his “It Ends With Us” co-star. On July 8, however, he and his wife, Emily, posted an Instagram video to update their followers, as reported by The Blast.
The couple shared their love and appreciation for the people who have stood by them, telling their followers that they are still in the process of healing. While they remained tight-lipped about case details, Emily said they plan to share their side of the story when the time is right.
