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It seemed Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s legal saga was over after they released a joint statement in May confirming they’d reached a settlement. Yet it was later reported that Lively would pursue damages and legal fees from Baldoni and co. The two It Ends with Us co-stars eventually headed back to court and, this past week, it was reported that Lively had won her bid to have her attorneys’ fees paid but not the damages. Baldoni’s lawyer has since weighed in on that partial victory, which he doesn’t see as a massive win for Lively.
Judge Lewis Liman ruled that Lively (38) was entitled to having her legal costs covered, and he based that rationale on a 2023 California law. That legislation is meant to shield those who make claims of sexual abuse from any retaliation-based defamation lawsuits, per Variety. However, Liman did not rule in favor of the Rhythm Section star’s appeal for punitive damages and triple damages, because those do not fall under the federal law. Nevertheless, Lively and co. expressed satisfaction with the result.
Per this recent settlement, both Baldoni (42) and Lively’s camps have agreed not to appeal and will heed Judge Liman’s motion. Lively’s lawyers, Esra Hudson and Michael Gottlieb, released a statement that was shared with Variety and said the “ruling makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith” and that there was “no evidence she acted with malice.” While the pair said Lively was “gratified” with how everything played out, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman offered his own perspective on why the actress “failed”:
Once again, she failed. Ms. Lively was only awarded limited attorney fees for a single claim as part of a case that lasted only a matter of months, nothing more. Throughout this process, innocent people had their reputations unfairly tarnished. There was no sexual harassment. There was no retaliation. There was no smear campaign. The court recognized it, the record reflects it, and we have maintained it from the very beginning. We would not hesitate to stand up for the truth again.
Freedman has been vocal on his client’s behalf throughout these legal proceedings. The veteran attorney spoke out in the aftermath of the settlement, saying that Baldoni didn’t view the result as a win or loss but more of a “logical ending.” Freedman was also indignant after Lively and co. decided to pursue damages, saying that it seemed like “more nonsense from Ms. Lively.”
After the settlement both Baldoni and Lively’s camps shared varying statements about who supposedly won the case. The answer to that question may or may not simply be a matter of perspective from a legal standpoint. More practically, though, it’s been said that actors’ lawyers are the real winners of the case. Per a report, Lively and Baldoni’s attorneys made a combined $60 million throughout the case. That figure seemingly lends credibility to the claims about the stars sinking a lot of time and money into the case.
This latest ruling would seemingly mark the true end of the Lively/Baldoni court battle, especially due to the legal stipulations they agreed to as part of this latest development. Now, both Baldoni and Lively seem to be in a position in which they can focus on their career prospects, and time will tell how they navigate the entertainment industry in the aftermath of their highly publicized dispute.
