Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled their lawsuits against each other back in May, but there’s still some unfinished business between the former It Ends with Us co-stars. Lively (38) took Baldoni (42) back to court after the fact in order to pursue damages and attorneys’ fees. A judge eventually ruled that the actress was entitled to compensation for the fees but not for the damages. Now, Lively’s team has formally filed its request for compensation and, per legal documents, they’re seeking a large sum of money from Baldoni.
According to a report that surfaced on Tuesday morning, Lively is seeking nearly $8.04 million — or $8,035,040.88, to be precise — in attorneys’ fees and litigation costs from Baldoni. Lively is specifically asking for $7,495,526.87 as far as legal fees are concerned and $539,514.01 to cover the litigation expenses. As of this writing, neither Baldoni nor his legal team have responded to this formal request. Lively’s team, meanwhile, has also laid out its rationale for how they arrived at this particular financial figure.
Per the legal docs obtained by People, Team Lively reasoned that the amount of work needed to combat Baldoni’s lawsuit was “comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured.” They also argue that the notoriety of the case also contributed to an increase in costs. In their filing, Lively’s attorneys mention “significant press attention, with thousands of indexed and syndicated media articles.” They also bring up 7,000 documents produced between Lively, Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios and others.
One additional point that’s alleged within the filing is that Lively “has paid, and continues to pay.” That assertion notably comes months after the Rhythm Section actress claimed she’d lost more than $160 million due to paying legal fees. Also, before that, insiders alleged that both she and Baldoni had put a considerable amount of money and time into their legal skirmish.
Justin Baldoni’s Lawyer Weighs In On The Most ‘Important’ Aspect Of His Settlement With Blake Lively
This filing from Blake Lively and co. comes not quite two weeks after Judge Lewis J. Liman ruled in her favor for the attorneys’ fees. Judge Liman awarded that money under a California statute designed to protect those who make claims of sexual harassment or discrimination for retaliatory lawsuits. After the decision came down, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson – Lively’s lawyers – said they and their client felt “gratified” and said the “ruling makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith” and not with “malice.”
However, Justin Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, argued that despite that legal victory, Lively and co. had “failed.” Freedman asserted that “Lively was only awarded limited attorney fees for a single claim as part of a case that lasted only a matter of months, nothing more.” When referencing the harassment charges and other claims Lively leveled against Baldoni, Freedman declared that there was “no sexual harassment,” “no retaliation” and “no smear campaign,” as alleged by the other party.
So, as legal experts predicted weeks ago, it would seem the Lively/Baldoni legal saga isn’t over. Baldoni and his camp have now been ordered to provide a formal response to Lively’s legal filing by July 13. Only after that follow-up is submitted will Judge Liman decide if Lively is entitled to the total amount of money she’s seeking.
