Despite being released in August of 2024, It Ends With Us (which is streaming with a Disney+ subscription) continues to make headlines. The book to screen adaptation has become synonymous with the long legal battle between its stars Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Despite them settling and releasing a joint statement, the situation hasn't resolved itself just yet. And lawyers are allegedly rolling their eyes at the financial request the Gossip Girl star is making.
Lively's complaint against Wayfarer Studios started a years-long legal feud with Baldoni, who filed his own defamation suit against both Lively and Ryan Reynolds. Journalist Rob Shuter's Substack features quotes from an alleged litigator who is reportedly gobsmacked by the actress requesting $8 million from lawyers fees. They were quoted by saying:
Every attorney I’ve spoken to has laughed at that number. It’s wildly aggressive. Just because you ask for $8 million doesn’t mean you’re going to get anywhere close to it.
There you have it. Per this source, lawyers are allegedly laughing at the massive sum of money that Lively is hoping to procure to pay for legal fees. $8 million is a pretty penny, and the source claims that Baldoni wouldn't be able to just hand over the money... even if he wanted. Instead it would likely involve Wayfarer Studios, as well as the company's insurance.
Later in the interview, the same alleged insider took umbrage with how news outlets have been handling the Shallows actress' request. In their words:
The headlines make it sound like Justin Baldoni would be paying Blake Lively millions. That’s an oversimplification. The legal issues are far more complicated than that.
And even if Blake Lively was awarded some money from Justin Baldoni's camp, the likelihood of her getting the full $8 million is reportedly unlikely. The lawyer went on to explain the ongoing legal situation, claiming:
Fee petitions are negotiated and reduced all the time. Requesting $8 million is one thing. Convincing a judge to award it is another. That’s why so many attorneys are rolling their eyes.
Perhaps Lively knows this, and is asking for such a huge sum of money so that she's not disappointed if she's given less? It's a complicated situation, one that is going to keep the It Ends With Us drama making headlines for the foreseeable future. Per the source, the legal community is allegedly not taking this request very seriously. They finished talking about the matter with:
The filing has become the talk of the legal community. Right now, the lawyers aren’t applauding it—they’re mocking it.
Only time will tell how things ultimately shake out, but clearly the saga between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni isn't going to end anytime soon. One can only imagine how this ongoing drama might affect their careers, in addition to the financial stakes involved.
It Ends With Us is streaming on Disney+ and Hulu now. While Lively has a few upcoming projects on her IMDb, the same cannot be said for Baldoni. And all eyes are on how their feud ultimately shakes out.
