Blake Lively seeks over $8 million in legal fees from Justin Baldoni
In another turn in their extensive case, Blake Lively is now seeking for Justin Baldoni to compensate her legal fees to the tune of $8 million.
The legal battle between the pair stretches back to 2024 when Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment launching a smear campaign against her in the aftermath of their film It Ends With Us.
Baldoni subsequently counter-sued the actor, along with The New York Times, who published the allegations, for defamation, although his case was later dismissed by a judge in court.
A judge also dismissed ten of the 13 accusations made against Baldoni by Lively in April, but they returned to court earlier this month as the latter was seeking for the former to pay her legal fees.
Now, in a filing submitted on June 29th, it has been revealed that Lively has asked a judge for Baldoni to pay her $8.04 million in attorney fees and litigation costs, given that her legal team claimed his defamation case was illegal under California law.
According to People, Lively is seeking $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees and $539,514.01 in litigation costs incurred during the case.
Her legal team said these fees were “comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured,” adding that Lively “has paid, and continues to pay” her legal costs.
The actor’s lawyers argued that the fees surrounding the case had been driven up due to “significant press attention, with thousands of indexed and syndicated media articles.”
A judge previously ruled that Lively was allowed to take this action, as under California law, victims are typically protected from defamation counter-cases if they have reported sexual harassment.
The publication reported that Baldoni and his team have a deadline of July 13th to respond to the case, after which time a judge will decide to award Lively the full amount, reduce it, or deny her request.
When the main case was finally settled in May, the pair released a joint statement which said, “We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments. It is our sincere hope that this brings closure and allows all involved to move forward constructively and in peace, including a respectful environment online.”
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