Blake Lively wants Justin Baldoni to pay more than $8 million after she beat back his defamation lawsuit in the It Ends With Us court battle.
The actress asked a federal judge on Tuesday to award about $8.04 million in attorney’s fees and costs for defending herself against Baldoni’s claims. The request comes after Lively and Baldoni settled their larger dispute in May without a payout to her.
Lively first accused Baldoni, her costar and director, of sexual harassment on the film’s set and of trying to damage her reputation after she spoke up. Baldoni denied the allegations and filed a $400 million countersuit for defamation and extortion, which was dismissed.
A judge later ruled Lively could seek fees under a California law meant to protect people who report harassment from retaliatory defamation suits, though her bid for extra damages was denied.
“Thanks to this landmark decision, those considering using a lawsuit as a weapon of intimidation have been put on notice that there are consequences for doing so,” a spokesperson for Lively said.
Her lawyers said the bill reflects six months of work in response to what they called a “gross abuse of the legal system.”
Baldoni’s lawyer Bryan Freedman has said Lively “didn’t get the result” she wanted. Baldoni and Wayfarer Studios are expected to respond by July 13.
