How Did Lively Respond To The Attorney’s Fees Ruling?
“Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties lost their meritless retaliatory $400 million lawsuit, which two different courts held was designed to stifle public criticism and silence Blake Lively and others,” Lively’s lawyers Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb told Forbes, adding, “As we have said from day one, Blake Lively’s case was never about money – it was about accountability.” They said Lively’s compensation award is “historic” as the “first-ever award of fees and costs” under a California law meant to allow sexual abuse accusers to seek compensation following retaliatory defamation lawsuits.
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How Did Baldoni Respond To The Judge’s Order?
“Today’s ruling speaks for itself. Judge Liman clearly considered the ‘outrageous and unreasonable’ $8 million plus demand and, in rejecting it, awarded only 5 percent of the amount sought in legal fees and costs,” Baldoni’s attorney Bryan Freedman told Forbes. “The ruling is a significant victory for my clients and sends a clear message that, no matter how powerful you may be, the courtroom is not a place to take advantage of the law for your own personal gain.” Freedman also accused Lively of using the California law, which he said is an “important one designed to protect real survivors,” in “ways it was never intended for.”
Lively Requested $8 Million In Attorney’s Fees
A court filing Lively’s lawyers made in June said the actress intended to seek nearly $7.5 million in attorney’s fees and about $540,000 in additional costs, totaling around $8 million. Baldoni’s lawyers attacked the request as “stunning,” accusing her of inflating the hours her attorneys worked on the case and requesting compensation for much more than “reasonable fees for work necessary to defend Wayfarer’s defamation claim.” Baldoni’s lawyers urged the court to deny the request in its entirety or “substantially reduce” it. A judge had previously granted Lively’s request to seek attorney’s fees and costs, but denied her request for punitive damages, saying the request fell outside the “carefully crafted federal procedural rules designed to protect the rights of the parties.”
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key background
Lively and Baldoni co-starred in the 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” which Baldoni also directed. Though the movie was a box office hit, the film was eventually overshadowed by a sprawling legal battle that began months after it hit theaters, as Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment in a California civil rights complaint, then in a federal lawsuit. The New York Times then published an article detailing an alleged smear campaign Baldoni’s team wielded against her. Baldoni, in response, sued the Times for libel, which was dismissed, and sued Lively for defamation. Baldoni’s suit against Lively was dismissed, while much of Lively’s suit against Baldoni was tossed by a judge, leaving only three of her 13 claims to head to trial. The trial was set to begin in May of this year until the parties announced they had reached a settlement agreement.
further reading
Justin Baldoni Challenges Blake Lively’s ‘Stunning’ Request For Nearly $8 Million In Attorney’s Fees (Forbes)
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