is pushing back at 's request that he meet a demand for around $8million to cover her legal fees, following their May settlement in their litigation over It Ends with Us.
Showbiz
Justin Baldoni Criticizes Blake Livelys $8M Legal Fees
Justin Baldoni is pushing back at Blake Lively's request that he meet a demand for around $8million to cover her legal fees, following their May settlement in t...
In documents filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York on Monday, attorneys for Baldoni said that Lively's request was 'anything but a typical fee motion' in asking for a judge to dismiss the request made by the actress.
Baldoni's attorneys pointed to Lively's request for $7,495,526 in legal fees 'for 7,070.20 hours billed by no fewer than 82 timekeepers, to obtain the dismissal of a single defamation claim at the pleading stage.'
They noted that 'in contrast, The New York Times is seeking $181,000 in a fee request filed in state court for its motion to dismiss precisely the same defamation claim.'
Lively's team 'could not possibly have spent over 7,000 hours' in prep for the dismissal motion, Baldoni's lawyers said in the filing.
The filing claimed that 'the most cursory review of Lively’s submission shows multiple lawyers at the same hearings, numerous charges for lawyers conferencing, conferring or strategizing with one another, and to put it mildly, extremely excessive research and online investigation.'
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The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Baldoni and Lively for further comment on the story.
Justin Baldoni is pushing back at Blake Lively's request that he meet her $7.5 million demand to cover her legal fees, following their May settlement in their litigation over It Ends with Us. Pictured in NYC in February
Lively pictured at Fendi Flagship on May 19 in NYC
After the defamation claims made by Baldoni had been dismissed, Judge Lewis J. Liman said Lively could try to recoup her legal fees under California Civil Code Section 47.1.
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Lively seen in NYC May 19, the day after the start date of her trial with Baldoni before settling
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
In the suit, Baldoni It was thrown out of court in June of 2025. All parties denied all of the allegations against them.
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 .
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The motion picture, Hasan Minhaj, Brandon Sklenar and Kevin McKidd, was based on the 2016 novel by Colleen Hoover. The storyline of the film centered around a toxic relationship between Lily Bloom (played by Lively) and Ryle Kincaid (Baldoni).
According to a logline for the film, Lily 'overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life,' as 'a chance meeting with a neurosurgeon sparks a connection but Lily begins to see sides of him that remind her of her parents' relationship.'
