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Justin Baldoni has asked a federal judge to reject or substantially reduce Blake Lively’s request for more than $8 million in legal fees and litigation costs, arguing that the amount claimed is excessive.
According to People, Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios filed court documents on July 13 asking Judge Lewis J. Liman to deny Lively’s application or significantly reduce any award.
The filing describes the request as “anything but a typical fee motion” and argues that her legal team charged excessive hourly rates and overstaffed the case.
The filing compares Lively’s request with a previous legal fees application by The New York Times, which sought $181,622.70 after successfully securing the dismissal of the same defamation claim brought by Baldoni.
His lawyers argue that Lively’s request for more than $8 million is disproportionate.
According to the filing, Lively’s legal team billed 7,070.20 hours using 82 timekeepers. Baldoni’s lawyers allege there were multiple attorneys attending the same hearings, excessive internal conferences and unnecessary legal research.
They state, “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.”
Lively is seeking $7,495,526.87 in legal fees and an additional $539,514.01 in litigation costs following Judge Liman’s ruling that she could pursue reimbursement under California Civil Code Section 47.1 after Baldoni’s defamation-related claims against her were dismissed.
The long-running legal dispute began after the production and promotion of It Ends With Us. Lively sued Baldoni in December 2024, before Baldoni countersued Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, for $400 million.
Judge Liman dismissed the countersuit in June 2025, and the wider litigation was settled in May, leaving only the issue of legal fees for the court to determine.
