Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni lawyers back in court over legal fees post-settlement

Attorneys for U.S. actor Blake Lively were back before a New York judge seeking legal fees and damages from "It Ends with Us" co-star Justin Baldoni, just a month after the parties reached a settlement in their years-long legal battle. The case stems from a defamation lawsuit filed by Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, against Lively.

Lively's legal team contends that Baldoni's lawsuit was a retaliatory action, which is explicitly prohibited under California law. However, lawyers representing Baldoni have rejected this claim. Details regarding the specific sum Lively's team is seeking have not yet been made public by Agence France-Presse.

The dispute began in December 2024 when Lively filed her initial complaint. She alleged that Baldoni, who also directed the film, had made inappropriate comments about his sex life and attempted to alter the film's script to include sex scenes. Lively further claimed that Baldoni orchestrated a public relations and social media campaign to damage her reputation.

Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios had previously countersued Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds, alleging extortion and defamation. A judge, however, dismissed those claims last year. While the federal judge overseeing the case, Lewis Liman, dismissed some of Lively's allegations, he did uphold her claims of retaliation. The precise terms of the settlement, reached out of court, have not been publicly disclosed.