Full Breakdown
Blake Lively Seeks $8 Million in Fees After Baldoni Countersuit Dismissal
6/30/2026, 10:25:01 PM
Core Event
A judge ordered Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios to pay Blake Lively’s legal fees from a defamation and extortion countersuit. Lively seeks $8,035,040.88—$7,495,526.87 in fees and $539,514.01 in costs—and gave Baldoni’s side until July 13, 2026, to respond.
Background & Context
Lively lodged a sexual-harassment and retaliation complaint with the California Civil Rights Department in late 2024. Baldoni responded weeks later with a $400 million countersuit, dismissed in June 2025. Judge Liman applied California’s Protecting Survivors from Weaponized Defamation Lawsuits Act (Civil Code § 47.1), enacted in 2023 to curb abusive litigation.
Key Figures & Groups
- Blake Lively – Actress and plaintiff.
- Justin Baldoni – Actor, founder of Wayfarer Studios (co-founded with billionaire Steve Sarowitz) and PR team members Melissa Nathan, Jennifer Abel, CEO Jamey Heath.
- Attorneys Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson – Represent Lively.
- Judge Lewis Liman – Federal judge; Bryan Freedman – Lead counsel for Baldoni’s legal team; The New York Times – Defendant in a separate $250 million suit dismissed by the same judge.
Timeline
Key dates: late 2024 – Lively files harassment complaint; Jan 2025 – Baldoni files $400 million countersuit; Jun 2025 – countersuit dismissed; May 2026 – tentative settlement discussions; Jun 2026 – Lively files $8 million fee request; Jul 13 2026 – deadline for Baldoni’s response.
Data & Statistics
Fee request: $8,035,040.88 (attorneys’ fees $7,495,526.87, costs $539,514.01); dismissed countersuit: $400 million; separate suit vs. NYT: $250 million.
Why It Matters
The ruling shows the Protecting Survivors Act can penalize parties who weaponize defamation claims, warning litigants that intimidation may trigger fee awards.
Official Statements & Responses
Judge Liman applied the Protecting Survivors Act to grant Lively’s fee request. Lively’s counsel said Wayfarer’s “scorched-earth litigation tactics” forced repeated court interventions. Baldoni’s team has not commented.
Criticism & Opposition
Wayfarer Studios and co-founder Steve Sarowitz have not responded, leaving the alleged “near-daily press campaign” and “expansive and irrelevant discovery demands” unchallenged.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Lively respectfully requests the Court award her reasonable attorneys’ fees of $7,495,526.87 and costs in the amount of $539,514.01,” — Lively’s legal team
- “The Wayfarer Parties employed scorched-earth litigation tactics designed to drain Lively’s resources, including a near-daily press campaign promoting their sham lawsuit, propounding expansive and irrelevant discovery demands, obstructing discovery directed at them and affiliated third parties, and forcing Lively to seek frequent relief from the Court to reign in their abusive docket filings,” — Michael Gottlieb & Esra Hudson
- “Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so, lead Lively lawyers Michael Gottlieb and Esra Hudson added to Deadline Tuesday after the documents were placed in the court docket.” — Michael Gottlieb & Esra Hudson
- “The value of this ruling is in the precedent it creates, the accountability it imposes, and the protection it provides to those who may one day find themselves facing similar retaliation for speaking the truth.” — Michael Gottlieb & Esra Hudson
What’s Next
If Baldoni does not settle by July 13, Lively may seek enforcement, shaping future use of the Protecting Survivors Act in defamation disputes.
