Blake Lively Secures Attorneys’ Fees in Justin Baldoni Defamation Dispute

Blake Lively accused director Justin Baldoni of sexual harassment on the set of *It Ends With Us* and claimed his company Wayfarer Studios launched a smear campaign after her complaint. Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a $400 million defamation suit in January 2025. The suit was dismissed in November 2025, after which Lively invoked California’s Protecting Survivors from Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act (Civil Code § 47.1) to seek reimbursement of her legal costs.

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• Dec 2024 – Lively files harassment complaint.

US Weekly

• Jan 2025 – Baldoni files $400 million defamation countersuit.

NewsNation

• Nov 2025 – Judge Lewis J. Liman dismisses Baldoni’s suit.

NewsNation

• May 2026 – Settlement; Jun 12 2026 – Judge orders Baldoni to pay Lively’s fees, denying treble and punitive damages.

NewsNation

Civil Code § 47.1, enacted in 2023, allows a prevailing defendant in a defamation case to recover attorney fees when the plaintiff’s statements were made “without malice.” The statute does not create a cause of action for compensatory, punitive, or treble damages.

Hollywood Reporter

The decision shows § 47.1 can be applied in federal court to protect harassment claimants from retaliatory defamation suits while limiting relief to fee recovery. It underscores the statute’s narrow scope and leaves broader damages to separate litigation.

Hollywood Reporter

Lively’s attorneys said the ruling confirms she “brought her claims in good faith and faced no evidence of malice.” Baldoni’s counsel argued that fee recovery “circumvents a jury trial” and that the California law “cannot be used to do an end run around procedural rights.” Both sides declined comment on the fee amount.

Hollywood Reporter

Ellyn Garofalo, representing Baldoni, said there is “no authority” for Lively to invoke § 47.1 to bypass a jury trial, calling the claim an overreach of state-level protections in a federal forum.

People Magazine

Some outlets cite Lively’s $300 million damages demand; others reference Baldoni’s $400 million suit. Settlement terms remain undisclosed, and the exact fee figure is pending the court’s calculation.

NewsNation

• “Allegations are insufficient on their own to demonstrate that statements were in fact made with malice,” — Judge Lewis J. Liman

Hollywood Reporter

• “does not create an end run around the entire set of carefully crafted federal procedural rules designed to protect the rights of the parties.” — Judge Lewis J. Liman

Hollywood Reporter

• “can be used to do an end run around a plaintiff or defendant's right to a jury trial.” — Ellyn Garofalo, attorney for Justin Baldoni

USA Today

The court will soon determine the exact attorneys’ fees. Lively retains the right to pursue compensatory, punitive, or treble damages in a separate filing, while both parties appear poised to move beyond the litigation.

Hollywood Reporter