Blake Lively pushes for over $8M in fees after Baldoni defamation case settlement
Blake Lively is seeking about $7,495,526.87 in attorneys’ fees and $539,514.01 in litigation expenses from Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and others related to their now-dismissed $400 million defamation suit, arguing the case was a retaliatory move for her reporting alleged misconduct on the It Ends With Us set. The suit was largely dismissed earlier this year and a May settlement was reached; the court found several claims frivolous and that Lively’s statements about the alleged misconduct were protected under California law. Lively’s team says the fees are recoverable under California Civil Code Section 47.1 because the legal work was intertwined with defending the entire action. The Wayfarer defendants are to respond by July 13.