Blake Lively Faces New Legal Setback Over Fees

Judge Lewis Liman, who oversaw both cases, agreed with her and dismissed Baldoni's case in November last year on that basis.

Gottlieb wrote that California Civil Code Section 47.1, the applicable law, was designed to ensure that people who claim sexual harassment can 'share their experiences with courts, agencies, the press, and others without fear of suit.'

Gottlieb also asked to submit a five-page brief to the court explaining how they want the judge to award her the money, according to the court documents.

The law was passed in 2023 in response to the MeToo movement and is relatively untested in the courts.

Meanwhile, Baldoni's lawyers said any attempt to make him cover Lively's costs for his own lawsuit would be 'draconian.' 

They said that he had a right to defend himself and that Lively is asking the judge to find that 'she is immune from any culpability for her wrongful acts.'

While the full settlement has not yet been made public so far, one court document noted that both sides waived their right to appeal it.

A source in the Baldoni camp played down the request from Gottlieb, noting that Judge Liman was going to rule on it anyway.

In their own statement Thursday, Baldoni's lawyer Bryan Freedman said the settlement was a 'win and total victory' for their side.

'The court had already dismissed 10 of Ms Lively's 13 claims, including every sexual harassment claim, every defamation claim, and all claims against the individual defendants. Ms Lively voluntarily dismissed the rest,' he said.

'In our view, they settled because they knew they were going to lose in court. All that remains is a pending request for fees based on a very narrow issue that has been with the court since September 2025.'

Any legal fees could be in the tens of thousands of dollars rather than a significant sum, the source told the Daily Mail.

Earlier this week the Daily Mail revealed Lively did not get a single dollar from the surprise settlement.

Despite claiming she lost nearly $300 million in earnings and income after being the victim of an alleged 'smear campaign,' no money changed hands in the final agreement.

Sources in Baldoni's camp said they were 'ecstatic' with how the case was resolved.

The lack of a financial settlement is a sharp contrast to Lively's requests to be compensated for the damage to her reputation and film career.

The star claimed in court documents that she lost as much as $40.5 million due to being branded a 'mean girl' and a 'bully'.

She claimed in court filings that she missed out on up to $87.8 million in lost acting and endorsement opportunities.

Up to $143.5 million more was supposedly lost in profits from Lively's haircare and alcohol range after the controversy over the film

Baldoni's lawyers called these claims 'pie in the sky' figures and said that Lively's reputation was already damaged due to her own actions.

In December of 2024, Lively named Baldoni in a lawsuit accusing him of sexual harassment, retaliatory conduct, and intentional infliction of emotional stress. 

In her lawsuit, the actress accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her in multiple ways, including body shaming her, and orchestrating a smear campaign against her to damage her reputation - allegations which Baldoni has vehemently denied.

It Ends with Us earned $148 million in domestic box office and $350 million globally - but whatever goodwill the film garnered has since been overshadowed by the allegations made by its stars.