Judge Orders Wayfarer to Pay Blake Lively’s Fees After $400 Million Defamation Suit Failed
Updated
Updated · Variety · Jun 12
Judge Orders Wayfarer to Pay Blake Lively’s Fees After $400 Million Defamation Suit Failed
3 articles · Updated · Variety · Jun 12
Summary
Judge Lewis Liman ordered Wayfarer Studios to cover Blake Lively’s legal fees for defending against Justin Baldoni’s failed defamation case, the last unresolved issue after their May settlement.
A 2023 California law let Lively recover those costs because the suit followed her sexual-harassment allegations, which the judge said were protected and not shown to be malicious.
Liman denied Lively’s bid for triple and punitive damages, ruling those remedies were unavailable under federal law even though fee recovery was allowed.
The dispute grew out of claims tied to 2024 film “It Ends With Us,” with Lively accusing Baldoni of harassment and retaliation and Baldoni accusing her in a lawsuit later dismissed.
Under the settlement reached two weeks before trial in New York, both sides agreed to accept the fee ruling and waive any appeal.