NEW YORK – Blake Lively has secured a partial legal victory against fellow actor and director Justin Baldoni in a case stemming from their collaboration on the 2024 film “It Ends With Us.” While a judge ruled that Lively can recover some legal costs, she was denied punitive damages and other forms of relief she had sought.
Judge Lewis J. Liman issued a ruling stating that Lively could reclaim legal fees associated with her defense against a countersuit filed by Baldoni after she initially sued him in December 2024. This countersuit arose in the context of serious allegations that Lively made against Baldoni.
In his ruling, Judge Liman referenced a California law aimed at protecting survivors of sexual harassment and discrimination from retaliatory lawsuits designed to intimidate them. This law mandates that if a defamation claim made in response to a lawsuit is dismissed, the plaintiff (in this case, Baldoni) must cover the defendant’s (Lively’s) legal fees and costs, regardless of whether all facts of the case have been fully explored through evidence gathering.
However, the judge clarified that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, could only avoid this obligation if they could prove that Lively acted with malice when she filed her lawsuit. Liman noted that Baldoni’s team had not provided sufficient evidence to support such a claim.
Additionally, Lively’s request for triple damages and punitive damages was dismissed as well, with Judge Liman stating that these requests did not comply with the established federal procedural rules designed to safeguard the rights of all parties involved.
Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement regarding the majority of their disputes last month, just as a trial concerning Lively’s retaliation claims was about to commence. Although Lively did not receive a monetary settlement from this deal, the judge’s ruling allows her to pursue the recovery of legal fees.
In a statement, Lively’s attorneys, Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson, interpreted the judge’s decision as a win for Lively, emphasizing that the award of legal fees demonstrated she acted in good faith and that there was no evidence of malice on her part. They declared her to be the “prevailing defendant” in the case.
As for Baldoni, his lawyer has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding the ruling.
The legal disputes began when Lively accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and retaliation late in 2024, claiming he orchestrated efforts to tarnish her public image and credibility. Baldoni, known for his role in “Jane the Virgin,” denied these allegations, asserting that Lively fabricated her complaints in a bid to gain creative control over the film.
In a twist, Baldoni countersued, alleging defamation and extortion against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, who is famous for his role in “Deadpool.” However, Judge Liman dismissed Baldoni’s countersuit last year and recently dismissed Lively’s sexual harassment claims, concluding that she could not file them since she was an independent contractor rather than an employee on the film set.
“It Ends With Us,” an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel about a toxic relationship leading to domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and performed well at the box office.
Blake Lively is widely recognized for her roles in the 2005 film “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” and the TV series “Gossip Girl,” which aired from 2007 to 2012. She has also starred in notable films like “The Town” and “The Shallows.” On the other hand, Justin Baldoni has made his mark through directing the film “Five Feet Apart” and authoring the book “Man Enough,” which challenges conventional ideas of masculinity.
