Blake Lively won important legal victories in her disputes with Justin Baldoni and his crisis PR specialist Jed Wallace. But those wins have not ended the legal troubles. The actress now faces new challenges over her requests for attorneys’ fees. Wallace wants Lively to sit for another deposition before he pays anything toward her legal bills. And Baldoni is asking a judge to reject or greatly reduce her $8 million fee request.
The legal fights started during the production of the 2024 film “It Ends With Us.” Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, accusing him of sexual harassment on set and claiming he tried to destroy her reputation. Baldoni denied the claims and filed a $400 million countersuit against Lively and her husband Ryan Reynolds. A federal judge dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit in June 2025. Lively and Baldoni later settled their dispute in May 2026, just before a trial was set to start.
But the money fight is far from over.
Lively Seeks $8 Million From Baldoni
Lively is asking for more than $8 million in attorneys’ fees and litigation costs from Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios. The amount breaks down to roughly $7.5 million in attorney’s fees and about $539,514 in other expenses. Her lawyers argue the legal work was “comprehensive and necessary to achieve the complete win that was secured”.
One of Lively’s lawyers, Michael Gottlieb, charged an average hourly rate of $2,187, which he says is a discount from his usual $2,795 per hour. He billed 224 hours for work on her defense against Baldoni’s countersuit, totaling $457,000 in fees.
Lively’s legal team accused Baldoni of using “scorched-earth litigation tactics designed to drain Lively’s resources”. They said Baldoni could have ended the fight at any time and offered to reimburse Lively, but refused.
Baldoni Fights Back Against Fee Request
Baldoni’s lawyers are not backing down. They filed an opposition on July 13, 2026, asking Judge Lewis Liman to deny Lively’s request entirely or “substantially reduce” it. They called Lively’s application “anything but a typical fee motion” and argued her legal team billed excessive hours and charged unreasonable rates.
The filing points to a similar case involving The New York Times. Baldoni sued the newspaper for $250 million in 2024, accusing it of defamation. That claim was also dismissed. The Times sought only $181,622.70 in legal fees for the same type of defamation claim. Baldoni’s team argues Lively’s request is about 20 times higher than what courts have approved in similar high-profile defamation cases.
The filing also claims Lively’s team overstaffed the case. It says multiple lawyers attended the same hearings, billed excessive time for internal meetings, and logged 7,070.20 billable hours across 82 timekeepers.
“The most cursory review of Lively’s submission shows multiple lawyers at the same hearings, numerous charges for lawyers conferencing, conferring, or strategising with one another, and, to put it mildly, extremely excessive research and online investigation.”
Baldoni’s filing asks the judge to reject the request entirely or use the Times’ $181,622.70 fee as a benchmark for any award.
Legal Experts React to $8 Million Demand
The $8 million fee request has become a hot topic among legal professionals. Several attorneys following the case have expressed doubt about Lively’s chances of getting the full amount.
“Every attorney I’ve spoken to has laughed at that number. It’s wildly aggressive. Just because you ask for $8 million doesn’t mean you’re going to get anywhere close to it.”
Legal insiders also point out that even if Lively wins, the final amount could be much lower. Fee petitions are often negotiated down or reduced by judges. The headlines make it seem like Baldoni would personally write a check for millions, but the reality is more complicated. Wayfarer Studios and insurance companies may also be involved in covering any costs.
“Requesting $8 million is one thing. Convincing a judge to award it is another. That’s why so many attorneys are rolling their eyes.”
Wallace Fights $800,000 Fee Request
Lively is also seeking roughly $800,000 in attorneys’ fees from Jed Wallace, a crisis PR specialist who worked with Baldoni’s team. Wallace previously sued Lively for defamation in Texas, but the case was dismissed because the court found it lacked jurisdiction over the actress. After that dismissal, Lively asked Wallace to pay her legal bills.
Wallace is now fighting back. He filed new court documents asking a Texas judge to force Lively to sit for another deposition. He wants to question her about whether she acted with malice when she made sexual harassment allegations involving him and his company, Street Relations Inc. Wallace argues this is relevant because it could affect whether he should be held responsible for her legal bills.
“Jed Wallace already took Ms. Lively’s deposition. His case was dismissed. Ms. Lively won. This is yet another desperate, meritless attempt by Wallace to go after Ms. Lively out of fear that he may face the same kind of fee award that Ms. Lively won from Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios in New York.”
Wallace claims Lively failed to follow the legal process and was a no-show for her deposition. He argues that if she wants him to cover her legal bills, he should be allowed to question her about what she knew and believed when she made the allegations.
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Judge Ruled Lively Can Seek Legal Costs
A judge has already ruled that Lively is entitled to seek some legal costs. In June 2026, Judge Lewis Liman found that Lively could recover attorneys’ fees and costs related to Baldoni’s defamation countersuit, which was dismissed. The judge cited a California law designed to protect sexual harassment survivors from retaliatory lawsuits meant to intimidate them.
However, the judge denied Lively’s request for punitive and treble damages. Liman said an exception would apply if Baldoni could prove malice fueled Lively’s claims, but he found no evidence to support that.
The legal dispute continues as both sides wait for rulings on the fee requests. The judge has not yet decided how much, if anything, Lively will receive.
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