Blake Lively awarded just 5% of $8 million legal demand as It Ends With Us war ends

Justin Baldoni and Wayfarer Productions must pay $407,451.75 to Blake Lively after the actress requested more than $8 million in attorneys’ fees and litigation costs stemming from their two-year legal battle

In an order dated August 26, 2026, US District Judge Lewis J. Liman awarded the It Ends With Us actress $363,245.40 in attorneys’ fees and $44,206.35 in costs, a total that is just a little over 5% of the sum she requested as reimbursement to fight the defamation countersuit Justin and the team had filed.

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The original countersuit, dismissed in June 2025, came after Gossip Girl star Blake sued her It Ends With Us costar and director, 42, and his associates for alleged sexual harassment and a retaliatory smear campaign

The legal team for Justin and Wayfarer had argued in a July 2026 filing that attorneys for Blake had charged for "multiple lawyers at the same hearings, numerous charges for lawyers conferencing, conferring, or strategizing with one another, and to put it mildly, extremely excessive research and online investigation."

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Judge Liman ruled that although "the case as a whole presented substantial financial and reputational risks for all parties involved," he believed that "the number of hours for which Lively seeks reimbursement is unreasonable", and concluded that Justin and Wayfarer "have the better of the argument" when it came to fees entitled to be recovered.

"Media relations were not integral to defending the defamation claim brought against Lively," the judge also noted. "Accordingly, time spent on media relations and press coverage is not compensable."

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Attorney Bryan Freedman, speaking on behalf of Justin and Wayfarer said that the judgment "speaks for itself."

"Judge Liman clearly considered the 'outrageous and unreasonable' $8 million plus demand and, in rejecting it, awarded only 5 percent of the amount sought in legal fees and costs. The ruling is a significant victory for my clients and sends a clear message that, no matter how powerful you may be, the courtroom is not a place to take advantage of the law for your own personal gain," he said.

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However, attorneys for Blake called the decision "historic."

"This first-ever award of fees and costs under this California law is historic, and demonstrates that there are real consequences of bringing retaliatory lawsuits," said lawyers Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb. "As we have said from day one, Blake Lively’s case was never about money – it was about accountability."

The decision sees the ongoing legal battle come to an end. 

In May 2025, Blake and Justin settled the lawsuit waged by the former, involving claims of sexual harassment against her co-star and director, who in turn alleged defamation.

The case was set to go to federal trial in June 2026. A month before they settled, a judge dismissed 10 of the 13 claims that Blake had filed, allowing only three claims (breach of contract, retaliation, and aiding and abetting retaliation) to proceed to trial.

The terms of the settlement have not been revealed.