Actress Blake Lively has been granted the right to recover certain legal fees and costs from her co-star and director Justin Baldoni, following a legal dispute related to their 2024 film 'It Ends With Us'. However, a judge rejected her bid for punitive damages or triple damages, as sought under California law, stating these did not align with federal procedural rules.
The ruling by Judge Lewis J. Liman on Friday specifies that Lively can recoup expenses incurred in defending against a countersuit Baldoni filed against her in December 2024. This decision draws on a California law designed to safeguard individuals from retaliatory lawsuits, often used to intimidate or silence victims of alleged sexual harassment or discrimination. The law mandates that if a defamation claim made in response to a lawsuit is dismissed, the plaintiff must cover the defendant's legal fees and costs, unless malice can be proven.
Judge Liman noted that Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios LLC, presented insufficient evidence to substantiate claims of malice on Lively's part. The method for calculating these legal fees was not detailed in the ruling. The broader dispute between the two actors was largely resolved in May, just before a trial on Lively's retaliation claims was due to commence. While Lively received no financial settlement from this agreement, she was permitted to pursue her legal fees.
Lively initially accused Baldoni and his production company of sexual harassment and retaliation in late 2024, alleging he orchestrated efforts to damage her public reputation. Baldoni, who directed and co-starred in 'It Ends With Us', denied these allegations, claiming Lively's complaints were fabricated in an attempt to gain creative control of the film. He subsequently countersued Lively and her husband, actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation and extortion. Baldoni's countersuit was dismissed by Judge Liman in June 2025, and Lively's sexual harassment claims were later dismissed on the grounds that she was an independent contractor, not an employee, on the film set.
'It Ends With Us', an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's popular 2016 novel, which explores a relationship's descent into domestic violence, was released in August 2024 and performed well at the box office. Blake Lively is widely recognised for her roles in the television series 'Gossip Girl', available on Netflix in the UK, and films such as 'The Town' and 'The Shallows'. Justin Baldoni is known for his role in the TV comedy 'Jane the Virgin', which can be streamed on ITVX in the UK, and directed the 2019 film 'Five Feet Apart'.