Blake Lively, best known for Gossip Girl and the film It Ends With Us, has been involved in a high-profile legal fight with her former co-star and director Justin Baldoni. Now, another part of their legal battle has come to an end, but not in the way Lively wanted. A judge has cut her nearly $8 million legal fee request down to about $407,000.
Justin Baldoni will pay Blake Lively about $407,000 in fees and costs
The legal dispute began after Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and claimed he had caused her emotional distress while working on It Ends With Us. Baldoni denied the allegations and later filed a defamation lawsuit against Lively and The New York Times. Both sides have strongly disputed each other’s claims.
As reported by TMZ, a judge has awarded Lively $363,245.40 in attorney’s fees and another $44,206.35 in costs. Together, Baldoni will have to pay about $407,000. The decision comes after Baldoni’s defamation lawsuit was dismissed in June. The judge had ruled that Lively was entitled to legal fees after successfully defeating the claim.
Lively had asked for $8 million. Her request included $7,495,526.87 in legal fees and $539,514.01 in other costs and expenses from defending herself.
Baldoni challenged the amount. He argued that Lively had greatly inflated the figure and said he should pay a lesser amount instead.
The judge ultimately agreed to a much smaller award, cutting Lively’s request.
The ruling appears to settle the remaining legal issue between Lively and Baldoni. The two had already reached a settlement before their planned trial in May. No money was exchanged as part of that settlement, and Lively dropped her sexual harassment claims against Baldoni.
In a joint statement following the settlement, the parties said, “We acknowledge the process presented challenges and recognize concerns raised by Ms. Lively deserved to be heard. We remain firmly committed to workplaces free of improprieties and unproductive environments.”
Originally reported by Deepshikha Sarkar for Mandatory
