Blake Lively faced another courtroom hurdle in her legal battle against Justin Baldoni.
Blake Lively Eyes $400M in Justin Baldoni Legal Battle as Judge Rejects Extra Fee Bid
Blake Lively's decision to settle weeks ahead of her trial may have been a move to recover more money from Justin Baldoni. She is now seeking attorney fees from her It Ends With Us co-star in a separate motion, and had attempted to file additional briefs in hopes of a larger payout.
The judge declined that request, ruling that the court would decide on the motion without further briefings from either party. The judge has not yet made a final decision on the fees Lively may be entitled to receive.
Judge Denies Blake Lively’s Lawsuit to Receive Compensation Against Baldoni
The judge denied submission of admission of more briefings on Lively-Baldoni attorney fee lawsuit.
According to court documents obtained by TMZ, under California law, Lively claimed she was entitled to compensation and legal fees as the prevailing party in the Baldoni defamation lawsuit. She had asked the court for permission to file additional briefs and provide additional information.
An attempt was made to recover her legal fees from the defamation case against Baldoni. The judge denied the request, ruling that the court would decide on the motions without additional briefings from either party. In a separate report from The Daily Mail, Lively demanded "compensatory damages tripled, and punitive damages."
TMZ reported the document was filed at a New York court only three days after Lively and Baldoni agreed to settle before going to trial — a decision that came after the judge had dismissed her major allegations in court.
She made the request claiming she was entitled to recover her legal fees because Baldoni had filed a defamation countersuit against her. Her legal team had already filed a motion on the topic earlier in the case and sought to provide additional arguments and evidence. The judge ruled that the court would decide on the motions without further briefings from either party.
Insiders Claim Lively-Baldoni Lawsuit Would’ve Been a Massive Media Circus
Page Six reported that both parties had spent a combined $60 million on the lawsuit and countersuit. Representatives for either party declined to comment on the settlement or the court's ruling.
An industry insider told the outlet that prominent figures involved in the lawsuit were relieved by the settlement. They would no longer have to testify in court. The source said the case had been shaping up to be an "even bigger media circus" than the 2022 Depp v. Heard defamation trial, with the volume of high-profile witnesses expected to take the stand drawing significant public attention in the weeks before the settlement was reached.
"I was very scared of the backlash," said a source who had been expected to testify. The report also stated that neither party could disclose the terms of the settlement, though both are free to discuss other aspects of the dispute publicly.